25 Years of Christmas
by Cassie Bones
Summary: Each consecutive Christmas in Rick and Kate's lives for 25 years. Each day of December, there will be a new chapter. Rated T Cover by ginalways; you can see her blog on Tumblr.
1. Xmas 2012

**Okay, so I know I'm starting a lot of stories lately but I just have to do something for my first Castle Christmas, right? So I'm doing a twenty-five day thing, where each chapter will be posted for every day of December leading up to Christmas. Each chapter is a stand-alone and is each consecutive year Rick and Kate spend Christmas together as a couple. It will also explore their growing family and the growing families of the other Castle couples. I think you'll also like the way it ends (I've already planned that far ahead). Anyways, enjoy!**

**25 Years of Castle Christmas**

"Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate," Rick's soft voice was like a fly buzzing in her ear as she awoke from a less-than-five-hour nap in his bed, as he kneeled beside her on the floor, his eyes wide and excited as a child's. "Kaaaaattttttteeeeeeeee….." he stage-whispered. "Wake up. Santa came. The good Santa; not the naughty one."

She almost wanted to laugh at that, but growled instead, reaching out to grab his pillow before swinging it over her head until it came down over his, knocking him off-balance. "Sleep," she mumbled, curling back into the mountain of warm blankets atop her body.

Castle pouted on the floor. "Come on, Kate!" he practically whined. "I wanna open presents!" They hadn't gotten to open presents on Christmas Eve like he had wanted because Martha and Alexis had gone out with friends, but both mother and daughter had promised him that they would open presents first thing in the morning. It was now morning (sorta-the sun still hadn't quite risen, but it was the AM) and he was ready to see what he got.

Kate turned her head so that most of her face was pressed into the mattress, one eye peeking through the curtain of her hair at her man-child writer of a boyfriend. Seriously, sometimes she thought she might be arrested for pedophilia…

"Forget it, Castle," she grumbled, "you're not getting me out of this bed without coffee, and even then I'm not walking myself out to the living room."

Castle stared at her for a moment before nodding and walking out of the room. Beckett hoped he'd given up trying to get her out of bed so damn early, only to groan as he appeared a minute later. Without a word, he walked over to her, flipped her over and picked her up, bridal-style, still wrapped in the blankets, catching Kate by complete surprise when he nearly dropped her. She caught herself by throwing one arm around his neck and holding on, not even bothering to protest since his body was so deliciously warm, she practically mewled in his arms. Castle smiled down at her and kissed her forehead, before taking her into the living room.

She nearly burst out laughing when she saw Martha and Alexis sitting on the couch, falling asleep against each other, Martha still in her curlers, and Alexis in an adorable pair of novelty elf pajamas. The girl was practically drooling and was making the same face that Castle made when he was in a dead sleep.

Castle deposited Kate next to Alexis, alerting both women to her presence. Kate offered to share the blankets with them and Alexis immediately accepted, curling up underneath the blanket with her father's girlfriend. Martha allowed her granddaughter to lay the blanket across her lap and lay her head on her shoulder. When Castle came back into the living room, he had a tray with four mugs. He handed his mother her tea, Alexis her Hot Chocolate, and Kate her coffee, pecking her lips quickly before taking his own small sip of his coffee and sitting on the floor by the tree.

"Okay!" he said, clapping his hands. "Who's first?"

After they'd finished unwrapping gifts, they sat down at the kitchen table and Rick made them all pancakes for breakfast.

(Alexis had received two tickets to Wicked, the show which she had been dying to see for years but had never managed to get tickets since they were too expensive and booked nearly a year in advance, from Martha, a pile of gifts from her father, that ranged from Dior perfume to a new laptop ["For school, of course," Rick insisted.] to a very expensive-looking pair of diamond earrings that were shaped like snowflakes, and personalized ornament from Kate that had her name, the name of her college, and the year. Alexis thanked them all for the wonderful gifts and they'd gone on to Martha.

Rick got his mother a $500 giftcard to her favorite clothing store and a very expensive bottle of Champagne, imported directly from France. Kate had gotten her an ornament, as well; this one was shaped like the masks of comedy and tragedy and had her name painted on it. Alexis gave her a lovely new dress from Macy's, which cost most of her shopping money.

Rick received a first edition of his first book from Martha, who'd gotten it from a used book store in the Village. The book had the names and comments of everybody who'd read it. They nearly filled every single page in the book. Rick was touched, to say the least, that his mother would go through all this trouble for him [she'd been to more than a dozen bookstores, looking for one of his that had something special written in it.] Alexis gave him a photo album filled with photos of them throughout the years, from the day she was born and he first held her to her recent High School Graduation. He'd kissed her forehead over and over again and crushed her in a hug for a few moments before releasing her and receiving his gift from Kate. Kate smiled as she ran to fetch her bag, taking out two small boxes. In one, there was a new Rolex watch, which had his name and 'Always' engraved on the band. In the other box, was a simple sprig of mistletoe, which he held up, confused, nearly being attacked by Kate, who attached their lips, smiling into the kiss. He tried to deepen it, but she pulled back, shaking her head.

"There will be more of that later," she promised in a whisper. He grinned and handed her her first gift.

The first gift was from Martha, who'd bought Kate two pairs of earrings shaped like handcuffs and guns. Alexis gave her a mug that had Detective K. Beckett painted on it and a chalk outline. Kate laughed at the thoughtful gift and pulled Alexis into a one-armed hug. Rick's gift to Kate was simple, but it held more meaning than anybody that wasn't them could know.

He'd hired a professional photographer for the job and the photographer, though confused at his strange request, had been all too happy to take the pictures for his client. The first was of a swing set, the very same one that they'd sat on over a year ago, after their reunion following the three months of separation after Kate's near-death. It was the spot he'd almost walked away from her, but knew he never could. It was the spot where she told him she'd like him to be around for much longer. The second picture was of a bar, but it was the exact spot where, over four years ago, her had first laid eyes on the most beautiful, remarkable, challenging woman he'd ever known and fallen in love with. And the last picture was of a door, _his_ door. The very same door that she'd shown up one night months ago, dripping wet from the storm that raged outside, and revealed her feelings to him. Some might say that's where it all started, but they both knew better. It began four years ago, but they didn't acknowledge it, fear of denial and unreciprocated feelings causing them to hide, until that night at that door. Kate's eyes filled with tears at the sight of these monumental places in their past that had caused huge changes between them, encased in silver picture frames.

"Thank you," she croaked, looking up at him with glistening eyes, "I-I don't know what else to say…"

"Don't say anything else until I give you your next gift," he said, reaching back underneath the tree for the last wrapped box. Kate's eyes widened. She took the box into her own hands, unwrapping it carefully, then lifting the lid and gasping at the simple red ornament with "Rick and Kate's first Christmas, 2012" painted in simple white lettering. She launched herself into his arms, kissing his lips and letting the tears fall freely for a few moments, before leaning back and looking into his eyes.

The words came out, involuntarily, but she didn't even try to take them back, because they were the three words that she'd been longing to say to him for months, _years_ even, and they expressed exactly what she felt at the moment; there were no better words in any language, no matter how beautiful they sounded, than the ones she spoke.

"I love you," Kate whispered, honestly, a smile blooming up on her face as his own lit up and he reached out to stroke her cheek, kissing her sweetly, before resting his forehead on hers.

"I love you, too," he said, before a cleared throat alerted them to the other two people in the room. Kate blushed and buried her face in his neck and he smiled at his mother and daughter. "She loves me!" he announced, turning back into the excited child that annoyed her so much, but at the same time she loved.

"And the moment is gone," she mumbled into his chest before pushing him away and standing, picking up the wrapping paper, "come on, Castle; let's get this all cleaned up so we can go have some breakfast.")

Now, there they sat, next to each other at the kitchen table, each of them digging into their pancakes while stealing glances at each other and sharing secret smiles, thinking that neither of the redheads at the table noticed.

But, of course, they did.

"Would you guys quit it, already!" Alexis said, suddenly. Rick, Martha, and Kate all looked at her and she blushed. "This is the third time someone's tried to initiate footsy with me…"

Rick looked mortified, a blush spreading across his face. "Sorry," he said, looking down. Kate burst into a hysterics and Alexis and Martha joined in soon afterward. Kate reached out and took his hand, squeezing it, comfortingly. They shared another brief smile, before Kate stood and began clearing her spot.

"I have to get going soon, Castle," she said, "I'm having lunch with my dad at New China, like every year, but we'll be back in time for dinner." She leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll see you later," she said. "I love you."

Rick grinned. "I'm never going to get tired of hearing that," he said.

Kate smiled. "Good," she said, before going off to the bedroom to get changed for her lunch with her dad.

Despite the fact that her Christmases for the last thirteen years had been a sad affair, the Chinese tradition only starting a good five years after her mother's death, when the pain had dulled enough and he'd gotten sober enough for them to spend a Christmas together, even if it wasn't at home with a tree, she was so glad that she made the decision to spend her holiday with Castle. She really did love him and this was already turning out to be the best Christmas she'd had since her mother died.

Hopefully, there would be many more to come.

**So, what do you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Either way, leave me a REVIEW and let me know! Until tomorrow, my amazing Castillions!**


	2. Xmas 2013

**Day numbah TWO of my lovely Christmas fic! Enjoy!**

Chapter Two: Christmas 2013

This year, Kate woke up before Castle-before anyone, really. She turned her head to look at the clock. It read half past four. Castle would no doubt be getting up soon and she really couldn't sleep right now; not after yesterday…

Kate squeezed her eyes tight, briefly, trying to forget sitting on that toilet in the Ladies' Room at the Precinct, holding that little stick in her hand…

She needed coffee. But she really couldn't have the caffeinated stuff, now could she? That would be bad for the…no, she'd just have some decaf but she'd make the hard stuff for Castle and she'd brew Martha's tea for her while she was at it.

Kate slowly slid out of bed, careful not to wake her sleeping partner. They'd been living with other since June and she still couldn't get over how heavy of a sleeper he was…sometimes. But when she was really trying to creep into bed after the late shift at work-or out for an early morning jog-all it would take was a feather to wake him up. But when it really mattered, like that time she'd fallen off the bed (how she did that with his arm wound around her waist half the night she'll never know) and created a ruckus that woke Martha up in her bedroom, _upstairs_, Rick just kept on snoring away, three feet away from her.

This time, though, gratefully, Castle didn't so much as stir as she slid out from under the comforter and slipped on her robe, tying it nice and tight. She stood there a moment and just watched him, sleeping peacefully, his hair flopping in his face. Sometimes, he really looked like a little boy and she felt her heart swell in that moment at the thought of…

No! Don't think about _that_ right now. Coffee. Need coffee; even if it _is _decaf.

With one more loving glance at her partner, Kate began shuffling towards the kitchen, locating the decaf with ease after living there for the last six months, and after having so many meals there over the last five years, even before they were a couple. She still couldn't believe they'd made it this far. Two years ago she thought all hope of being with Richard Castle was futile and that she should just give it up. But now…Kate placed her hand over her abdomen and leant against the counter, a faint smile on her lips before shaking her head and turning on the coffee machine.

While the coffee brewed, Kate filled a teapot with water and set Martha's favorite tealeaves in the attached strainer, setting it on the stove to boil. Then she set to making Alexis's Hot Chocolate. Alexis was, of course, old enough to drink coffee and had often shared a cup with Kate when she visited on weekends, while they talked about what was going on in their lives (Kate and Castle's cases and Alexis's school work and continuing internship with Lanie at the morgue). But she preferred Hot Chocolate on Christmas; it was her own special tradition and Kate respected it.

It wasn't long before Kate's coffee was done and the teapot was whistling, signaling that it was done and waking up nearly everyone in the loft.

Castle was the first to appear in their bedroom doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, a loving smile aimed right at Kate. She smiled back in return and accepted the good morning kiss from him. He reached for the coffee in her hand but she pulled it back.

"Um…this is decaf, actually," she said, nervously, "but let me make you some regular-"

"Decaf is fine," he said, confused. "But, uh, why did you…"

"Good morning!" Kate breathed a sigh of relief as Martha swept down the stairs, smiling brightly. "Merry Christmas, Darlings! Do I smell tea?" Kate nodded and poured her a cup, handing it over, receiving a kiss on the cheek as thanks. "Such an angel!" Martha said, pinching her cheek. "You made the right choice this time!" She tapped her son on the shoulder as she walked past, into the living room.

Kate blushed and looked up at Castle, who was beaming at her, his eyes conveying all the love he felt for her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her, sweet and slow, letting his lips linger over her for a moment before letting go. "I made the _perfect choice_," he whispered and Kate buried her head in the crook of his neck, elated and embarrassed.

"Merry Christmas!" Alexis said, hopping off the last step and shuffling into the kitchen to hug and kiss both Rick and Kate. Kate handed her the Hot Chocolate she'd already made and Alexis thanked her.

"You're awesome!" she exclaimed, hugging Kate before running into the living room to sit with her grandmother. Kate still hadn't gotten used to the girl's affection, even after over a year of being with her father. She still felt as if Alexis didn't really like her because of that fact that her father has nearly died several times in pursuit of justice, which had more to do with her than just his passion for law. Thankfully, Alexis understood and was so completely mature for her age.

How on earth was she the product of Castle and Meredith?

Castle and Beckett joined Martha and Alexis in the living room, Kate sitting down on one end, curled up against Castle, her head on his shoulder. Alexis was handing out gifts this year and she and Martha looked much more awake than last year.

"Wow, you guys look very eager! Last year Rick had to practically drag you out of bed; he actually _carried_ me out of mine!" The women both laughed and shared a secret look that did not go unnoticed by Kate.

"Well," Alexis said, finally, "we didn't really have as many big plans last year as we do this year. We both got a full night's sleep and we're back to our normal Christmas selves! You're more awake than last year, too, Kate!"

Kate blushed, furiously and looked down. "Oh, yeah," she said, "well I had a little trouble sleeping and usually when that happens I just get up and walk around for a bit. And since today is Christmas, I decided to do something a bit more productive so that we'd all be a little bit more awake today, ya know?" They all nodded. "Okay…so let's get to those gifts now, huh?" She nodded to Alexis who took out the first gift from under the tree.

"This one is for….Grams," she read off the wrapping.

The gift was a joint one from Rick and Kate. They'd both chipped in and bought her two tickets for a weekend away in Miami with whomever she chose. Rick had paid for most of it since it was his mother and he had more money, but Kate's half had covered a full three-night stay in a luxury hotel (Priceline was a live-saver). Martha thanked them each with showered kisses on their faces and then immediately invited her granddaughter to come with her. Alexis agreed without pause.

The next gift was from Alexis. It was a new red dress and a signed Wicked poster (she'd bid most of her life savings on eBay for it but it was so worth it when she saw her grandmother's face and received a million kisses of her own).

Next were Alexis's gifts. From Kate, she received a beautiful winter trench coat, gray in color, with matching ear muffs, mittens, and a scarf. Alexis hugged her, tightly, and kissed her cheek, shocking the woman into stunned silence. Rick's gift to Alexis was her own planned trip to Europe for Spring Break, which Alexis had been saving up for since she was in her sophomore year in High School. Alexis launched herself at her father, staying in his lap like a little girl for a good five minutes just telling him that he was the best father in the world and that she loved him so much.

Kate watched this with awe. Castle was just a natural father and he obviously cared so much for Alexis. She wondered how he would be with their child. At that thought, Kate stood, rushing out of the room with excuses that she had to use the bathroom, which was just off their bedroom, thankfully. When she reached the bedroom, she immediately sought out her purse, digging through it and finding the test she'd taken yesterday. She reached under the bed and pulled out one of the many boxes she'd kept there for wrapping oddly-shaped gifts and chose a small, rectangular box, opening it up and placing the test inside. To make it a bit more festive, she reached under again to find the bag of ribbons she'd used. She didn't have time to wrap this gift and just tied a simple red bow around the box, before slipping it into her robe pocket and hurrying back out to the living room, where Alexis had finished opening her gifts and was now wearing a beret on her head and clutching a foreign language book, which Kate could bet she was going to study all Winter long in order to converse with all the Europeans overseas.

They were waiting for her to return because it was now her turn to be showered with gifts. Martha's gift to her was a new trench coat ("To add to your collection, Dear."). Kate thanked her and folded the coat over the back of the couch. Alexis's gift was a framed photo of them all together, with the words, "The Castle Family," engraved into the silver frame. Kate teared up at this and pulled Alexis into a bone-crushing hug. The fact that she now considered a part of their family said more than words could ever describe. Rick's gift was next. He'd gotten her a trip as well, but this one was for a Caribbean Cruise, one that she'd mentioned in passing might be nice when they got a little time off. She smiled up at him and gave him a sweet kiss. "Thank you," she said, "this looks amazing."

Rick smiled back at her. "I think you'll like your next gift even more," he said, before standing and kneeling in front of her. Kate's eyes widened as he pulled something out of his pocket.

"Oh. My. God," she breathed, glancing at Alexis and Martha, who didn't look at all surprised. They must have known. Kate looked back to Castle, her eyes swimming in unshed tears.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, you have been a big part of my life since you first brought me into questioning more than five years ago now. And for four of those five years, we both fought this-well, me not so much- but I kept my true feeling away for far longer than I should have and, for that, I'm so sorry. But now, now that we know we're both meant to be together, I can't imagine spending another day, or _second_ without you. Nearly three years ago, I thought I'd lost you forever, never knowing how you truly felt about me, only able to say how I felt about you in what I thought were the last seconds of your life. I'm so sorry I didn't say it earlier, still, but here we are now. We're still standing, and we're together, you and me against the world. And our family, of course. And yes Kate, you _are_ my family. You've been my family for the last five years and now, now I want to make it legal. So, Kate Beckett, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife and being with me, always?"

Kate had no words. She had really not been expecting this at all. Well, she had known that he would eventually ask her and she knew that she would say yes in a heartbeat, but words were failing her now. So she just nodded, smiling down at him, her head bobbing furiously as tears streamed down her cheeks. Castle beamed at her and slid the ring, which was a platinum-banded princess cut diamond on her left ring finger, before standing and pulling her up to lift into the air, spinning her around, before placing her gently on her feet and kissing her soundly. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Kate smiled up at him. "I love you, too," she croaked. She had said those words at least a million times since last Christmas, but this time they seemed to have much more meaning now that this shiny new ring of precious metal was on her finger.

Martha and Alexis looked on with tears of their own. "Oh, Richard!" Martha exclaimed. "How are our gifts ever going to compete with that!?"

Rick and Kate laughed, still holding each other as they sat down on the couch, Kate now curled in his lap, her head resting in the crook of his neck as he accepted his first gift from Alexis.

The gift was a set of NERF guns in all different shapes and sizes and came with a challenge to take place in Central Park within the next few days between her, Kate, and Castle. The challenge was readily accepted. Martha's gift was a bottle each of red and white wine ("The finest a struggling actress's money can buy, kids!") which was to be opened at dinnertime when Jim, Lanie and Espo, and Ryan and Jenny came over.

Kate's first gift was two tickets to the San Diego Comic Con that would be coming up in April. They weren't yet on sale but she had a friend on the police force in San Diego who knew a guy who was willing to get advanced tickets and VIP passes for her. They cost her a month's wages, but that was nothing compared to the gift Castle had bestowed on her.

Rick thanked her with a loving kiss that nearly got too heated before Alexis cleared her throat and they pulled away. Kate then smiled at him. "There's more," she said.

"More than Comic Con?" Rick asked, surprised.

Kate nodded, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the little box she'd gotten before and handing it to him, before turning to the other two women in the room. "You two should know that this gift is also for you.

"Really?" Alexis asked. "What is it?"

Castle's eyes opened wide as he lifted the lid of the box. "It's a-it's a _pregnancy_ test," he stammered. He looked up at Kate. "Kate, are you….are you…"

Kate nodded. "Mmhmm," she said, "yes, Rick; I'm pregnant." Castle's face was blank for all of two seconds before a large smile bloomed and he looked up at her in childhood wonderment.

"I-I'm going to be a daddy again?"

Kate nodded. "Yes. And Martha is going to be a Grandma again." She turned to look at Alexis. "And you're going to be a big sister. Is that alright with you?"

Alexis nodded and wrapped her arms around Kate. "That's more than alright; Kate, that's wonderful!"

Martha joined in, squeezing Kate gently, before pulling back. "I want to warn you in advance; I am going to spoil this kid rotten. Just like I did the other one."

Alexis nodded. "She's right; I was a monster when I was little."

Kate took a deep breath. "Oh boy," she said, leaning her head on Rick's chest.

"Don't worry," he said, his deep voce rumbling in her ear, "we'll get through it all eventually. And I'll be here for you. Always."

**It is now 2:27 AM on a Sunday morning. I hope you all appreciate the pains I go through for you! Please REVIEW!**


	3. Xmas 2014

**New Christmas oneshot! I wanted to write this last night but I was waaayyyyy too tired so I'm writing it now, about an hour before my Major class but w/e. Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2014**

The baby in Kate's arms was gurgling happily, absolutely _refusing_ to go to sleep. He looked up at her with big blue eyes sparkling, a toothless smile spread across his face…he looked so much like his father sometimes, but he had her nose and her chestnut-colored hair. It was already long and falling over the top of his eyes at four months old. And he had Castle's dimples, one on either cheek, making his smile that much cuter. Kate sighed; she was going to have a lot of trouble disciplining this kid when he was older and no doubt as energetic and mischievous as his father.

Richard James Castle II was born on August 31st, 2013, at a mere 6 pound, 2 ounces. He was a tiny baby but he made up for that with his loud screams and fussy personality. Oh, RJ was an easy baby, most of the time, happy and cooing and playing quietly with his mother's hair when she held him, but when he was in a bad mood…watch out. He had been in a particularly bad mood earlier, when his grandparents had come over for dinner (Martha having moved out since making enough money at her acting school to get her own place). He had been fussy all throughout the meal, crying every single time he left Kate or Rick's arms, and refusing his bottle. Kate had had to leave the dinner table to bring him into his room, trying to quiet down and succeeding only after she'd sung him three lullabies, causing the little boy to drift off. Kate was relieved and placed him in his basinet, kissing his forehead before returning to the table for dinner.

He'd slept throughout the rest of the meal, then dessert, and Martha and Jim were long gone by the time he woke up, screaming his little lungs out. Castle had offered to go and tend to him but Kate refused; she needed to get used to this mothering thing. Rick had already gone through it with Alexis (who she was certain was a relatively easy baby compared to little RJ) and now she could go through it with their son. She told Rick that he was more than welcome to come in and watch, and help, when he was done with the dishes, but she wanted to see if she could get him back to sleep herself.

Now, Kate was rocking back and forth in the wicker rocking chair Javi and Lanie had gotten her for her baby shower, singing softly to her son as he smiled up at her. He reached up a hand and grabbed hold of a lock of hair, holding it like a security blanket as his mother held him.

"Hey blue eyes, tomorrow became yesterday

What was will never be felt again

I fell in love with you

Over a smile so gold, I was through

Where did you come from, why did you come from there

Got yourself a woman, do I even care

I want you to want me, the way that I want you

Ain't it strange how god fixed a plan

To want the world to find solace in the bodies of a woman and a man

Come to me close boy, take my hand

And we'll fly off to a magic land."

The song was one she'd made up herself for Castle on Valentine's Day. She'd sung it to him while playing a few chords on the guitar and he'd thanked her the best way he'd known how. Kate smiled at the thought, looking down into the blue eyes that were identical to the ones she'd sung about, looking back at her, unblinkingly. She adored the little boy in her arms and she was so scared she might turn him into a little Mama's Boy when he got older and she told Rick to warn her when that happened. She'd rather him be a bad boy with a tattoo at sixteen and a motorcycle with a girl permanently attached to the back than be a Mama's Boy that lived with her until he was forty. As long as he respected the girls, of course.

She had no doubt he would. Castle would most definitely teach him.

As if hearing his name in her thoughts, Castle appeared next to her, kissing her forehead and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, smiling down at his son. "Still no sleepy-eyes?" he asked, referring to the expression that RJ displayed when he was fighting sleep and failing miserably. Kate shook her head, smiling.

"Nope," she said. "He's just as stubborn as his father."

"Nah, I think his mother is where he gets that streak from," he said, nudging her with his hip.

Kate lifted one arm and hit him softly in the chest. Rick grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers, before pulling her up. "Come with me," he said, suddenly. He helped Kate stand carefully, taking RJ into his own big arms and leading them both back to the living room, never letting go of her arm.

When they stopped in front of the Christmas tree, Kate opened her mouth to ask what was going on but Rick silence her with a finger to her lips, before taking her arm again, looking at her watch. "Wait for it…there!" He turned to Kate with a big smile. "Merry Christmas, Kate," he said, kissing her, before looking down at his sleeping son. "Merry Christmas, RJ." He kissed his son's soft hair and the boy rubbed his stubbly cheek. Kate smiled up at him and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Merry Christmas, Castle," she said, before leaning down and kissing her baby boy. "Merry Christmas, Baby," she whispered into his ear, kissing his downy cheek.

Rick wrapped his arm around the shoulder as they stood there, watching the lights flicker rhythmically on the tree.

**REVIEWS!**


	4. Xmas 2015

**Christmas 2015**

"RJ," Kate whispered in her son's ear. "Baby, wake up. Santa came…"

One navy blue eye peeked open, the sixteen-month-old boy looking, blearily, up at his mother.

"'Anta?" he mumbled. RJ had learned to walk at ten months old but had only just recently begun talking. His vocabulary was limited, but Santa was definitely part of it. Kate and Rick had been telling him all about the jolly fat man in red who brought presents for all the good little boys and girls. He was still too young to comprehend but he knew that Santa coming was a good thing.

Kate smiled. "Yeah, Sweetheart; Santa. Wanna come see what he brought you?"

RJ nodded and held up his arms, signaling for Kate to pick him up. She did and he immediately wrapped his arms around her neck and shoved his face into her chest. Kate held him closer and kissed the top of his head as she made her way downstairs, where Alexis, Rick and Martha (who'd recently moved back, deciding that living on her own wasn't as enjoyable as living with her son and his new wife and her grandkids). Martha immediately held out her arms for the toddler, showering his face with kisses as he settled in her lap, giggling hysterically.

"Gammy!" he squealed, hugging her tightly. Martha laughed and positioned him in her lap like a newborn baby, gazing down at the boy, who was nearly the spitting image of his father at that age. Castle, himself, pulled Kate down to sit in his lap, handing her a mug of coffee and kissing her good morning, which she delightfully returned. Alexis sat at their feet, leaning her head against her father's leg, enjoying how he stroked her hair. Martha was distributing the presents this year and she felt that RJ should get his first, since he was the baby and would most likely not be awake for much longer.

Also, his first present was becoming impatient. She deposited the little boy on his mother's lap before going off to the kitchen for his first gift from 'Santa'. RJ snuggled into his mother's arms, his eyes closing again as he drifted off. He was nearly asleep by the time Martha returned holding a blue leash with a tiny Husky puppy at the end. There was a bow on her collar and a large tag that read, 'To RJ; Love, Santa,' in big black letters.

RJ's eyes were closed so he didn't notice at first but Kate nudged him awake and he started, blinking sleepily before he noticed the puppy.

He blinked once, then twice, before a large smile spread across his face as he looked back at his parents. "_My_ puppy?" he asked.

Kate nodded, smiling brightly.

"All yours, Buddy," Rick said, grinning, his blue eyes sparkling.

RJ beamed and jumped down from his mother's lap, toddling over to the puppy and stopping just a foot away, a bit apprehensive.

"Put out your hand, Darling," Martha instructed. "She won't bite. She's a Sweetheart."

Tentatively, RJ reached out a hand towards the husky, waiting for the puppy to react. She looked at the hand, quizzically at first, before nudging it with her nose and, finally, licking it frantically. RJ giggled and reached up to pet the puppy, giggling as she stepped forward and began licking his cheek, knocking him to his behind. RJ didn't mind though as he giggled and writhed on the floor, the puppy attacking him with kisses and licks. Kate, Rick, Martha, and Alexis looked on with smiles on their faces, all enjoying the tinkling laughter that emanated from the boy. Finally, the puppy got tired of licking him and just rested her head on his tummy while he lay on the floor, scratching her head softly.

"So," Rick said, "what do you wanna name her, son?"

RJ thought for a minute then smiled and said, "'Anta!"

"Santa?" Kate asked. "Are you sure?"

RJ nodded and looked down at his puppy. "'Anta Cwaz!"

Rick chuckled. "I think Santa is good enough. It sounds Spanish." Kate rolled her eyes and nudged him. He smiled. "Santa it is! Welcome to the family, Santa!"

Santa didn't respond, too busy reveling in the lovely scratches the baby human was administering to notice her new name.

"I think she likes her name," Alexis joked.

"I think RJ likes her too." Rick pointed to the little boy, who's just fallen asleep, cuddling his new puppy. Santa wasn't sleeping but she didn't dare move, too comfortable in her current position.

"Maybe we should let his sleep for a little while," Kate suggested, "he can open his gifts later. Let's let him just enjoy the one he has now."

Martha, Alexis, and Castle agreed, whispering as they exchanged gifts between themselves as RJ and Santa napped on the floor in front of the tree, snuggling together like the best of friends.

Every now and then, Santa would affectionately lick the boy's cheek and RJ would hold him tighter in return.

Kate looked on, hoping that RJ wouldn't forget this Christmas for a while.

**REVIEWS!**


	5. Xmas 2016

**Christmas 2016**

"Mama! Mama! MAMA!" RJ climbed on his mother's back as his father looked on amused as Kate groaned and tried to bury her face in the pillow. "MOMMY!" RJ shouted in her ear. "C'mon! Santa came!"

Kate mumbled something into her pillow and Castle asked her to repeat it. She lifted her head and turned it toward him. "I said, take him into the living room and let him open his gifts. I'm gonna sleep a little longer."

"You don't want to watch?" Castle asked her.

Kate shook her head. "No. Mary Kate and Ashley have been kicking my bladder all night and they just settled down. And since I can't drink coffee until they leave my uterus, sleep is the only way I'm going to get any rest." She buried her face back into the pillow. "Just take a video and I'll watch it later.

Rick chuckled and leaned down to kiss her head before picking up RJ and making him kiss his mother's cheek, then stuck him under his arm like a package and walked downstairs, Santa the dog trailing after them.

Kate smiled after them. She usually loved watching the family unwrap presents but since she'd entered her third trimester, she'd been more fatigued and bloaty than she'd liked. She felt like a whale with two babies growing inside her and often preferred being in bed, where she could stay covered and sleep. She was now eight and a half months pregnant and about ready to pop. She just hoped it would happen soon so she could get off maternity leave; the inactivity was driving her crazy, despite the fact that she had Rick and RJ to entertain her, which they did…consistently.

RJ, little Nia Esposito (Javier and Lanie's own two-year-old), and Caleb Ryan (Ryan and Jenny's 15-month-old) had been having play dates at the loft a lot recently and had begun putting on silly, nonsensical plays in order to cheer Kate up and help her through her rough mood swings. She had nearly scared RJ to death when she began crying during his confusing play about a barber and his wife. The children had rushed straight to her and surrounded Kate with hugs, trying to calm her down, but nothing seemed to work. She just cried harder.

Kate blushed, remembering that. It was almost as embarrassing as Lanie's drunken toast at her wedding. She'd just had Nia and had gone too far in her alcoholic binge, starting her toast off with, "See? I told you you guys would end up in bed together! Why don't you listen to me, girl?"

Esposito, cradling a sleeping baby Nia, had tried to get her off the stage, but did not accomplish that feat until she'd gotten through a full rant about how she was always right when it came to couples. The next morning she had called Kate and profusely apologized. Kate laughed it off, saying it was no big deal, but she kept the video of Lanie's toast just in case she ever needed a little blackmail.

Kate smiled at the thought of their wedding. It'd happened nearly two years ago now, just after the holidays, in mid-January. They'd gotten married outside on an unusually warm Winter day. Kate's dress was long-sleeved, of course, lace bodice and sleeves down to her wrists, a princess skirt, and a short train trailing behind her. Her hair was up in a complicated, elegant updo, supported by a tiara with a long white veil attached. She'd looked like an angel coming down the aisle on her father's arm. Rick had never taken his eyes off her, his smile never leaving his face. He'd looked at her with every bit of love and affection for her in his eyes, like he'd done so many times before.

But this time was different and Kate knew it.

The wedding had gone by in a haze, the preacher marrying them at what seemed only seconds after her father gave her away. She barely remembered exchanging rings before being dipped for a very-dramatic, very Castle-like kiss.

Then they had run out of there, being pelted by rice and rose petals. Alexis holding RJ, the "Best Man", making him wave at his newly married parents.

They'd jumped into Castle's Ferrari and drove off towards the hotel where they would hold the reception. They got there before anyone else and took the liberty of a small trip to their room before heading back to the party. Kate changed into a shorter dress and removed the veil, before taking Castle's hand and leading him to the Reception, where their extended family was waiting.

Thinking of this, Kate decided that she could sleep later. She stood and threw on her robe which now didn't tie around her swollen belly and started downstairs. When she got there, RJ was already halfway through his gifts, Santa laying down right next to him under a blanket of wrapping paper. Rick was taping the entire thing with his iPad.

"Hey," she said, coming up to stand next to him, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. Rick smiled at her and kissed her lips in return.

"Hey, yourself. I thought you were going to sleep a little longer."

Kate shrugged. "I can sleep when he's done opening his gifts. I shouldn't miss this. Ever," she lay her head on his shoulder. "It won't be long until he's grown like Alexis."

Castle groaned. "Don't remind me!" Alexis and Max, her boyfriend, had recently moved in together, a big step in their now three-year relationship. She hadn't come to spend the night on Christmas Eve, but she and Max would be there at noon to help prepare for dinner.

Kate rubbed his back, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Don't worry, you've got at least 18 years with the girls and 16 with Castle Jr. over there." RJ had opened a large gift, taken it out of the box and was now ignoring the gift, a jumbo box of Legos, and was playing with the box, Santa watching him with uninterest. "Sixty dollars for that huge set of Legos that he just had to have and now he's just playing with the box," she muttered, "maybe that's what we should get him next Christmas; a bunch of boxes."

Rick chuckled. "Somehow, I think he wouldn't mind that." RJ was now pretending that the box was a spaceship and was firing a "laser" with his fingers at Santa, who didn't even blink.

Kate laughed, then grimaced as she felt a kick deep in her stomach. "Ow!" she cried out, holding her abdomen. "Geez, guys! Take it easy!"

Rick looked at her, alarmed. "You okay?" he asked.

Kate nodded. "Yeah, they're just kick-AHH!" Kate doubled-over, holding her stomach, and Rick tossed the iPad on the couch, coming to her aid

"Kate! Kate! Baby, breathe!" He said, helping her sit down on the couch and hand her a pillow to clutch through the pain, knowing full well the kind of damage she was capable of in this kind of pain. When she went into labor with RJ she'd nearly broken his hand. She'd actually ripped up his shirt in her pain. Now, she tore apart the pillow as her first contraction hit.

"Ca-Castle!" she puffed. "I-I think I'm go-going into l-labor!"

Castle nodded. "I think so, too. Why don't we get you to the hospital, then? Wh-what about RJ's, GAHH, presents!" she winced, the contraction still not over.

"I've got that covered," Castle said, running to the stairs. "Mother!" he called up. "Code Red!"

Martha was downstairs in a flash, scooping up RJ and tossing him up in the air, distracting him from his parents frantically leaving. Kate held onto Rick's arm, making him almost lose circulation all the way to the hospital.

When they got there, Kate was given a wheel-chair and wheeled into the Emergency Room, with Rick following closely behind.

"Sir!" A nurse stopped him, shoving a clipboard in his hands. "You have to fill out these forms before-"

Rick stopped her, rifling through the bag in his hands, pulling out a crumpled set of papers and handing them over. "Already done," he said.

When RJ was born he'd nearly missed the birth because of these stupid forms. This time, he was prepared.

He ran after Kate's wheelchair, taking her hand and wincing as she squeezed it, cursing him and the babies all the way to the Maternity Ward.

CxBxCxBxCxB

Kate was in labor for twelve hours, finally giving birth at 7:36 and then again at 7:48 to twin girls.

Rick and Kate each held one perfect little girl in their arms, Rick having slid into bed next to her, her head resting on his shoulder as they gazed at their newest children.

"They're so beautiful," Kate sighed, smiling down at the baby in her arms. They'd yet to come up with names, but Kate wanted to honor her mother in some way without giving one of them her first name. Maybe a middle name would be okay…

"What do you want to name them?" Castle asked, almost as if he read her mind. "I was think Holly and Jolly. Get it?"

Kate smirked and rolled her eyes. "We're not naming our daughter Jolly, Castle. Holly sounds cute, though. Which one should that be?"

"Hmm, let's see…Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Holly. Her." He pointed to the baby in Kate's arms. "She's looks spirited." Holly yawned and Castle beamed. "See? She likes it!" Kate chuckled.

"What about her? What's her name?" she asked, looking at the baby in his arms.

"What about Nikki, after her mommy's alter-ego?" Rick asked.

"Castle, you based that character off of me and have even admitted to making her slutty. Do you really want her to be named after a slutty character to be compared to?"

Castle grimaced. "No, actually, now that you mention it. What about Princess? Princess Castle; that's cute."

"For a stripper, maybe," Kate said, smirking.

Castle made a face. "Don't say that!" he groaned. "You're gonna traumatize me!"

"Not as much as your horrible naming talent. I thought you were supposed to be a writer; where's the creativity that came up with Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat?"

"It's different when it's your kids," Rick said. "I named Alexis after my middle name and I still thought I messed up big. Meredith didn't really care too much. But, I want her name to be perfect."

Kate smiled softly at him. "It will be, she said," kissing his lips. "What about…Eva? It means life or something. Being your daughter, I'm sure she'll be full of life."

Castle smiled and nodded. "I like that. What about middle names? Johanna?"

Kate nodded. "I think that should be Eva's middle name. Eva Johanna Castle. I like it."

Castle smiled and kissed her cheek. "And Holly's can be Beckett, so together they're Johanna Beckett." Kate smiled and nodded, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Eva Johanna Castle and Holly Beckett Castle; I like that," she said, smiling down at Holly in her arms.

"Oh, they're just gorgeous!" Martha's voice made them both turn towards the door, where she was standing with Alexis at her side and RJ on her hip, holding his Funny Bunny and a gift bag, presumably for the babies.

Kate and Rick smiled at them as they entered, coming around on either side of the bed and cooing at the little girls.

"What are their names?" Martha asked, placing RJ at the end of the bed and sitting on the edge, herself.

"The cute one is Eva Johanna and the adorable one is Holly Beckett." He beamed at his daughter whose finger was currently being clutched by her baby sister.

"They're so cute!" she cooed, kissing her sister's soft head. Both babies were redheads, like Alexis and each had a tuft of bright red hair sticking out of their heads.

"It's my ginger genes," Martha joked, brushing Holly's hair softly with her fingers. "Oh, Kate, they are simply adorable. Good work!"

"Hey!" Castle whined. "I helped!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to carry them for eight and half months and miss most of Christmas for their birth, did you?" Castle shut up at that point and Kate smiled in triumph. She noticed RJ sitting silently at the end of the bed, playing with Funny Bunny. She smiled at him and handed Holly to Martha, before calling out for RJ to come sit in her lap. He was still so small for his age and she could swear he was still a newborn when he settled into her arms. "Do you like your Christmas presents?" she asked him. He looked at her, quizzically. "Your baby sisters," she clarified."

RJ shrugged. "I guess so," he said. "They're okay."

"They're better than okay!" Kate said. "They're your baby sisters and they're Princesses, both of them, so you, as their big brother, and a brave knight, must protect them! Can you do that?"

RJ nodded. "Yes, Mama," he said, solemnly. "I proteck them."

Kate smiled. "Good. Now, what do you have there? Presents for Holly and Eva?" RJ nodded and handed her the bag. Kate opened it and pulled out two soft stuffed animals, a purple bear and a pink pig. Both were plush and almost as big as the babies. Kate handed the bear to Castle, who shook it in front of Eva. Eve grasped it but did not pull on it be fell asleep holding its arm.

"I think someone's a little sleepy," Castle cooed. Kate yawned next to him. "Looks like Eva's not the only one. Come on, Kate; Mother and I will take the babies to the nursery. You should rest. They'll be fine for a few hours."

Kate didn't even _try_ to argue with him. She just kissed both girls on their foreheads and let Castle and Martha carry them out. "Merry Christmas," she mumbled. Rick smiled, looking back at her.

"Merry Christmas, Kate," he whispered, then looked down at the little girl in his arms. "Happy birthday, Eva." He kissed her head and continued on to the nursery, leaving the girls in the care for the night while he and Kate got some well-deserved rest.

**REVIEWS! I would love them since I've stayed up til 1:30 writing this for y'all!**


	6. Xmas 2017

**Hello! Happy sixth day of Christmas! Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2017**

"Holly! Eva! Look over here, babies!" Kate was looking at her two small daughters through her camera, trying to get the one year olds to smile at her as they sat on the floor with their brother, opening presents.

Holly looked up and smiled at her, nudging her twin sister, who glanced up as well. Both girls smiled brightly, showing off two sets of tiny teeth. Kate snapped a dozen photos while fearing that she was becoming her own mother. Rick was on the floor with the children, Santa resting her head on his lap as he scratched her lazily. RJ was in the middle of opening a new toy truck when he was suddenly hit in the back of the head with a NERF pellet. He looked up at his father, who was looking away, whistling innocently. RJ giggled. "Daddy!" he scolded, playfully.

Castle smiled innocently at his son. "What? He asked, chuckling as the little boy threw a rolled up piece of wrapping paper at him. Castle frowned and shot another pellet at him with his NERF gun, which the little boy dodged, giggling as he ran and jumped on his father, narrowly missing hitting Santa with his foot.

"Hey!" Kate scolded. "Watch it, RJ! You nearly hit Santa!" Santa left Castle and jumped on the couch, resting her head in Kate's lap now. Kate scratched behind her ears affectionately. Santa's tail thumped on the couch.

"Sorry, Santa!" RJ said, as he was turned upside down in his father's arms. He giggled as Rick tickled his midsection. "Daddy, stop! No tickling!" This only prompted Rick to tickled him more and RJ's laughs escalated.

Meanwhile, Eva and Holly had started throwing the wrapping paper at each other, following their brother's example. Kate just shook her head and took more photos.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Martha's voice echoed throughout the room as she glided down the stairs, wearing her red robe and a Santa hat.

"Gammy!" the girls chorused, throwing up their arms as she approached. Martha knelt down and gave them each a big kiss on their cheek.

"Happy birthday, my beautiful girls!" she cooed, hugging them. "And a very merry Christmas to you all!" She turned to Castle and plucked RJ right out of his arms, making him pout.

"Hey! That's my toy!" he mock-complained. "Go get your own!"

"No, I think I like yours much better," Martha teased back, kissing RJ's cheeks. "Merry Christmas, Ricky," she said. Martha was the only person who called him Ricky, and he adored it.

"Merry Christmas, Gram," RJ replied, giving her a big kiss on the cheek in return. Martha smiled and gave him back to his father.

"So, where is your eldest child?" she asked Rick. "Where's my Alexis?"

"We're right here, Gram!" Alexis said, coming through the door with containers of food and dessert, Max right behind her, carrying an armful of gifts. "And we bought presents and pie!"

"Two of my favorite things," Rick said, standing to greet his firstborn. "Merry Christmas, Pumpkin. Max," he stuck out his hand for the young man, who looked more nervous than usual.

"Hi, Mr. Castle….um, could we talk in private for a minute?" Max asked. Castle thought this strange but Alexis didn't seem distraught in any way and was now playing with her baby sisters, wishing them a "Happy Birthmas."

"Yeah," he said, motioning towards his office, "sure. Come on."

Max followed him through to the office, sitting down in the chair opposite Castle's as he closed the door.

"So, what's up, Max?" Castle asked, sitting down. "You look troubled? Are there problems between you and Alexis?

"No! Alexis is great! Better, actually….She's…I can't even explain it. I mean…it's like…I dunno. That's the thing, though. I can't explain how much she means to me. I just….I love her so much and I can't imagine ever spending another day or night without her, ya know?" Castle smiled, nodding. He knew all too well. "Yeah, so anyway, I just…I wanted to ask your permission…"

"To do what?" Castle asked, his eyes widening. He knew where this was going.

Max took a deep breath. "I would like to ask Alexis to marry me….with your blessing, of course!" Castle's eyes widened.

"Oh…well…um…I…" he took a deep breath. "You really love her?" Max nodded, vigorously. "And you'll never do anything to hurt her, right?" Max shook his head, solemnly.

"I love her more than anything in the world, Mr. Castle, and I would do _anything_ to make her happy. Believe me."

And looking into Max's bright blue eyes, Castle knew that he was telling the truth. He knew that Alexis and Max loved each other more than anything else in the world and he knew that she'd be taken care of.

"Okay," he said, nodding. "You have my permission, but just know that if you do anything to hurt her, I know at least two cops who look at Alexis as if she were their own baby sister and they would go to any lengths to protect her. Not to mention her stepmother, my wife, who would kill for that girl. And since her best friend in the ME, she might just get away with it; capisce?"

Max swallowed thickly. "Yessir. Thank you, Mr. Castle. Thank you so much!" He stood up and shook Castle's hand, pumping it up and down so fast it almost hurt. "I promise I'll take good care of her. I won't let you down."

Castle didn't say anything else. He just nodded and led Max back out to the living room, where Alexis was sitting with the kids, watching Christmas movies, as Kate and Martha cleaned up all the wrapping paper and organized the toys under the tree.

Max walked over to sit next to Alexis, his hand sliding into his pocket and Castle felt his heart speed up. He had no idea that the reason Max had asked him that day was so he could-

"Hey," Kate came over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "what's up? You look concerned."

Castle smiled down at her, pecking her lips. "Nah," he said, "I'm just thinking you should go find your camera."

"Why?" Kate asked, confused.

"Just trust me."

Kate gave him a look but then shrugged and went to fetch her camera, snapping a few photos of Alexis and the kids on the couch. Eva and Holly looked almost identical to her, but their eyes were much darker and Eva's were actually brown, like Kate's, but they had the same red hair and dimples as Alexis. RJ shared Alexis's blue eyes and round face. Max was sitting at the opposite end of the couch, separated from her by three small children and a husky.

He glanced over at Castle for help and Castle nodded. "Who wants Hot Chocolate?" he asked aloud. Three small faces, and one bigger face looked up at him with smiles on their faces. Holly and Eva were much too young for Hot Chocolate, but chocolate milk would do just fine. "Why don't you go ask Gram to make you some? Come on!" RJ jumped down from the couch and helped his baby sisters, taking their hands and leading them to the kitchen. Alexis was about to get up, too, but Rick stopped her.

"Nope," he said, "not you."

Alexis frowned, about to ask why, but Max's voice stopped her question.

"Alexis," he said. She turned to him.

"Yeah?"

Max took a deep breath and began.

"When I met you in our first year at Columbia, I thought, 'Wow, she's hot,' but I was wrong. You were so much more than that. You were funny and smart-brilliant, actually-and beautiful, and you weren't like other girls. You never cared about breaking nails and you were never scared of spiders or snakes or anything like that. You're the Assistant ME, for crying out loud! You're the most awesome girl-_woman_ I've ever met and I love you so much, Alexis. And it would give me great pleasure if you agreed to be my wife." With that, he pulled up a small black box, and opened it, sliding off the couch so that he was kneeling in front of her on one knee.

Alexis's blue eyes widened, as did Kate's and she quickly snapped a photo of Alexis's shocked expression, tears coming to her eyes as she watched this unfold.

Alexis's mouth gaped open as she tried to find something to say. But nothing came.

So she nodded. She nodded and wrapped her arms around Max, sniffling as she looked up at her father and stepmother, who were both smiling widely at her, Kate still snapping photos as they pulled back and Max slipped the ring onto her finger. They stood then, and Max picked her up, twirling her around so that her feet didn't touch the ground, then placing her back and kissing her lips sweetly (another moment that Kate captured). Rick wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders, smiling even though the thought of his daughter being all grown up made him tear up and long for the days when the biggest even in her life was making him Cookie Angel in class.

But then he looked to the kitchen and saw his mother with his three youngest children, all sharing glasses of hot chocolate and chocolate milk, giggling at the funny faces RJ was making. He dreaded the day they would grow up and get hitched, themselves, but that was still a long way off. He had time.

He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't see Alexis come up until she was right in front of him. "Dad?" she asked, looking up at him. "Are you okay with this?"

Castle smiled. "Of course," he said, "why wouldn't I be?"

Alexis smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered.

Castle smiled into her hair. "I love you, too, Pumpkin." He looked over at the tree, Cookie Angel displayed right in the center, a tear in his eye.

**REVIEWS! Please! I would really love them! Please and thank you!**


	7. Xmas 2018

**I'm baaaaaaccckkkkkkk. Lol. Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2018**

"Daddy, Daddy! Wake up!" Holly was tugging on her father's blanket, which she could just barely reach now, at two years old. "Daddy, Santa came!"

"Mommy! Wake up!" Eva was on the other side of the bed, tugging softly on her hair. Kate opened one eye, looked at the clock and moaned.

"Castle," she groaned, kicking him under the blanket, making him jump awake. "Your children are up; entertain them."

"Oh, so now they're _my _children?" He groaned, looking down into Holly's dark blue eyes, big and excited, not a tiny bit of fatigue reflected in them.

"Mmhmm," Kate said. "Yours. Now go."

Rick groaned and sat up in bed coming face-to-face with RJ, who was smiling and sitting at the end of the bed. Castle had no doubt that he'd told the girls to wake their parents, while he sat there and watched. Santa was snuggled up next to him, her blue-white eyes, sparkling like a puppy's as she was scratched on the head by RJ's hand.

"Kate," Rick said, frowning at his amused son, "_your son_ is an evil genius at the age of four."

Kate chuckled sleepily. "That's my boy," she mumbled into her pillow.

RJ giggled as Rick picked him up, then scooped up Holly, calling out for Eva to follow them. He placed the two children outside and then shooed the third into the hallway, telling them to wait a few minutes while he got on pajamas (he was still in just his boxers). They waited patiently while he slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, then dragged Kate out of bed and got her dressed in a long nightshirt. She groused about it plenty, wanting nothing more than to just go back to bed but then Castle picked her up, carrying her bridal style and she did not complain at all. When he opened the door, the kids started giggling at seeing their mother being carried by their father. She smiled down at them and they made their way to the living room, where there was a mountain of presents under and around the tree. The children squealed and ran head-first into the pile, ripping open the first gifts they could get their hands on. Rick and Kate were not worried about them opening each other's gifts because Rick had chosen different wrapping paper for each of them in their favorite colors. Red for RJ; Pink for Holly; and purple for Eva. Naturally, they all migrated to their favorite colors and started ripping open gifts.

Meanwhile, Rick sat down on the couch with Kate draped over his lap, watching their kids excited faces, knowing that they'd probably be like this for about an hour or two before crashing. He reached into his sweatpants pocket, pulling out a small wrapped box and handed it to Kate, who smiled and kissed him in return. "Thanks, Babe," she said, kissing his cheek, before turning to the box, which she was sure held jewelry of some kind.

She was right. It was a necklace with four different colored people charms on it. A green one, two blue ones, a yellow one and a white one.

"What's this?" she asked, in awe of the delicate silver chain and the gemstones that sparkled in the light.

Rick smiled, taking the necklace from her and putting it on her neck. "They're birthstones. They're ours and the kids. Peridot for RJ; Blue Zircon for Holly and Eva; Topaz for you; and Diamond for me. I was going to get you a ring, but I thought this would be more convenient."

"More convenient?" Kate asked.

Rick smiled. "You know, if we wanted to have more kids…or if we wanted to adopt one…"

"_Adopt?_" Kate asked., looking up at him, wide-eyed.

Castle smiled and nodded. "Yeah. My Publishing company sponsors an orphanage in Chad specifically for Sudanese orphans who lost their parents to the genocide in Darfur. They get new kids every year, month-old babies, Kate. Anyway, they wanted to know if we'd be willing to adopt one. They said it would be great publicity, but it'd also help a child in need, you know? So, what do you think?"

Kate thought about it for a few minutes. Sometimes she felt overwhelmed by the three children she already had, but then when she read them bedtime stories at night, with the girls tucked into bed and RJ resting in her lap, so docile and innocent, she just longed for more. She'd always wanted a lot of kids, had always been good with them. But when she became a cop, she thought she would never be able to have any, because of how dangerous and time-consuming her job was, but now she had three and she was home nearly every night by six, if they didn't catch a murder, and she spent her Sundays at parks and zoos and the ice skating rink…and she was so incredibly happy. More happy than she'd imagined herself possible after her mother's death.

And adopting a child from Chad would be wonderful. She could definitely see herself bringing a new child into this family, almost the same way she was brought in; unconventional but welcomed with open arms.

"Okay," she said, suddenly, "let's do it. Let's adopt a child."

Rick's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" he asked.

Kate shrugged. "Why not? We've got three little rug rats already, why not one more?"

Rick smiled and leaned down to kiss her on the lips. "I love your big heart."

Kate smiled, naughtily. "And I love your big-"

Rick cut her off with another kiss and a, "Shh!" glancing over at his kids, practically swimming in wrapping paper as they played with their new toys.

Kate chuckled. "I was going to say, 'blue eyes,' Castle. Geez! Get your mind out of the gutter in front of the kids!"

He smiled at her and kissed her lips, before pulling back. "So," he said, "what'd you get me?"

**REVIEWS! Pretty please? If you give me reviews I give you kisses! **


	8. Xmas 2019

**Christmas 2019**

The picture hung on their fridge all year long, next to RJ and the girls' school and daycare photos, and the artwork Kate and Rick covered the fridge with. It was just a single photo of a small, dark-skinned, four-year-old Sudanese boy. In the picture, he is smiling and holding the teddy bear that Rick and Kate sent him when they first adopted him. They'd called Paula, Rick's Agent, a week after last Christmas, and told her that they were interested in adoption. It took nearly two months for all the paperwork to go through but soon they were presented with the picture of a small, three-year-old, malnourished child with a swollen belly. Rick immediately sent money to the closest hospital, paying them handsomely to not only provide service for this little boy, who wasn't even theirs yet, but for all the children from the same orphanage who must have been equally as malnourished. And once a month they sent him a care package, with toys and food, enough for him to share, and they talked to him on the phone as often as was possible. His English was not very good but he was still young. On his birthday, they were able to have their first video chat with him, inviting the entire family to talk and introduce themselves to him. His English lessons (also paid for by Rick) were coming along quite well but there were still a few comprehension problems. He sometimes mixed phrases and words. But he was smart, even for such a little boy and talented. He often showed his 'parents' the drawings he made and Rick knew that when he came to live with them he was going to have to buy a bigger fridge.

There were difficulties, though. Neo, which was the little boys name (meaning "gift") was having difficulty getting his Green Card, and even a Visa was proving a challenge. He was expected to arrive in New York via plane by early October; it was nearly Christmas.

Rick woke up one night in early December only to find that the space next to him, usually occupied by Kate, was empty. He sat up, catching a glimmer of light coming from outside the bedroom door. He followed it to his office, where Kate was sitting at his desk, his lamp turned on, Neo's picture in her hand. Rick came to stand next to her but she didn't seem to even notice him, until she spoke.

"He's so beautiful," she said, reverently, "how can one little boy be so beautiful when he's not even ours?"

"He is ours," Rick corrected, softly, "we just didn't get him the traditional way."

Kate nodded. "I still can't believe it, though. Remember when he was just this little underfed baby with a swollen belly? _Now_ look at him! He's getting so chubby! His face is so round and his skin looks healthy. He actually has good clothes…he looks like a different kid."

Rick grinned. "I know. But he's still the same Neo; our son."

Kate smiled at that. "Our son," she repeated, breathlessly. "Our fourth child-your fifth-and he's just so far away." Tears popped up in her eyes and Castle wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close.

"We'll get him here," Rick said, "I promise. I'll have him here by Christmas," he swore.

Kate scoffed. "That'd be a miracle."

"Hey," he said, "it's that time of year." Kate laughed and he rested his chin on top of her head, looking at the picture of his son. "I'll get him here, no matter what."

For two weeks, Castle made calls-and donations-made flight plans, talked to Immigration services, anything he could do to keep his promise to Kate. And it wasn't easy. Due to the major time difference between New York and Chad, he would stay up until nearly four in the morning going over plans for Neo's trip and filing his immigration papers and receiving a Green Card. He would have to get a Visitor's Visa first, before anything, but in a few months he would become a United States Resident. And Rick would do anything to make all this happen by Christmas, if only to make Kate believe in Christmas miracles.

Finally, he received a call from the Supervisor at the Chad Orphanage, telling him that Neo's Visa had been approved and that they would be able to get him on the next available flight to New York. Unfortunately, that flight just so happened to be landing on Christmas morning. When he told Kate this, she told him to screw Christmas morning and that they'd have it later in the day if it meant they would finally be able to meet and hold their son.

Their children were a bit less understanding.

"But we _always_ open presents on Christmas morning!" RJ complained. Holly and Eva agreed with their older brother.

Rick was beginning to get worried that this meant they might not accept Neo into the family, although they'd met him and talked to him and seemed to like him well enough. But then Kate intervened.

"Guys!" she mock-whined. "You're ruining our surprise!" she said, shaking her head and pouting. Four sets of eyes looked at her, confused.

"_What_ surprise?" Holly asked, her blue eyes wide and innocent, much like her father's.

Kate frowned at her. "Your father and I had something special planned for all of you on Christmas morning, but now you've gone and ruined it…" Kate turned away, acting upset.

The twins looked at each other, then at their brother, before running to their mother to try and comfort her. "We're sorry, Mommy!" Eva said. "We didn't mean to!"

"Yeah!" Holly agreed. "We didn't mean to! We're sorry!"

RJ came up next. "Yeah, and we don't know what the surprise is, anyway, so it's not really ruined, right?"

Kate tried not to smile as she let out a frustrated breath. "I _guess _not," she said, "but you guys better be on your best behavior Christmas morning, okay? No sneaking gifts; we'll open those when we come home from…the surprise. Deal?"

Three little heads bobbed up and down and it was settled.

Neo's plane was set to arrive at 8:45 AM on Christmas morning, so that meant that the Castle family, Martha, Max, Alexis, and the new baby, Lily (born exactly nine months after the wedding) left at precisely 6 AM, giving them more than enough time to get there, park, and get to the gates in order to welcome little Neo, though RJ, Holly, and Eva remained in the dark about it.

At 8:40, Kate was pacing nervously, before Rick's arms reached out and grabbed her, holding her in place against his chest. "Stop moving, already," he said, "everything's gonna be fine." Kate nodded, but continued to fidget.

When the time came for Neo's plane to arrive, Kate and Rick stood to attention, scanning the crowd for the man that was supposed to be bringing their child to them.

They saw him after about three minutes and immediately held up their sign, which read, "Tendai".

The man saw it and waved to them, before making his way through the crowded airport, straight to them, Neo clutching his left hand and his teddy bear. When he saw them, Neo beamed, recognizing the people who he'd seen on his birthday and talked on the phone with, and who'd sent him Thabo, his teddy. He let go of Tendai's hand and ran straight towards them. Without thinking, Kate dropped to her knees and opened her arms wide, catching the boy in a big hug, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Welcome home," she whispered.

**REVIEWS!**


	9. Xmas 2020

**Update!**

**Christmas 2020**

"Mama?" The tiny voice in Kate's ear startled her awake. One eye peeked open to find the soulful brown eyes of newest, but not youngest child, Neo. He was dressed in the blue plaid pajamas she'd bought him when he first came to them. He was still too small for them but he'd grow into them, eventually. Kate peered at the clock; 3:30 AM. Her and Rick had just gone to bed a few hours ago. Why was Neo up now?

"What's wrong, Sweetie?" Kate asked, her voice drowsy though she was completely alert, her motherly instincts kicking in, automatically. She could just see tear tracks on his dark-skinned cheeks. She leaned up and rested on her head on her hand, reaching out with her other one to stroke his cheek, wiping a stray tear away. Neo's chin quivered and he surged forward, burying his face in her chest. Kate immediately picked him up and draped him over her lap, rocking him back and forth, whispering soothing words in his ear. "Shh, it's okay, baby It's okay. I'm here; Mama's here."

When he finally calmed down, Kate again asked him what was wrong. "I had a nightmare," he whimpered into her chest. Kate's heart fell; she was all too-familiar with nightmares horrible enough to make you cry and want your mother. But, unlike Neo, she didn't have a mother to run to when she awoke.

"What was it about?" she asked softly, rubbing his back, feeling her shirt get wetter as his tears soaked through the cotton.

Neo didn't look up at her, but instead burrowed his face further into her chest. "You gave me back," he said, simply, and Kate knew exactly what he was talking about. She held him tighter to her.

"Oh, baby," she said, tears falling down her own cheeks. Their sobs fell into synchronicity as she rocked him back and forth. Finally, their tears started to slow and she wiped the tears from both their cheeks. "We'll never give you back," she promised, "I swear. You're one of us, now. You're a Castle. Always."

Neo hugged her tighter and she just held him up his breathing evened and let out soft snores. His curly afro hair tickling her chin as he rested against her chest. Kate sat back against the headboard and just let him sleep on her chest, watching him. Soon, she fell asleep as well, with her five-year-old baby snuggled in her arms.

XMAS*XMAS*XMAS

Kate and Rick were awaked less than three hours later by their other three children climbing into bed with them. Holly and Eva climbed on Castle and began bouncing him awake while he made those growly bear sounds that made them giggle and grabbed one girl in each arm, cuddling them like teddy bears.

"Daddy!" Holly exclaimed, in a giggling fit. "Let go of us!"

"Don't wanna," Rick mumbled, kissing both girls' heads sleepily. Kate was awakened by the giggling and looked over, chuckling at the sight before her. When she looked back ahead, she saw RJ kneeling in front of her, looking at his little brother in her arms.

"Why's Neo here?" he asked.

Kate smiled. "He had a little nightmare but it's all better now. Right, baby?" she looked down at Neo, smiling up at her.

"Yes, Mama; I'm okay now." Kate smiled and nuzzles his nose, before looking over at her husband, being bombarded by the terrible twosome. She laughed. "Hey, monsters!" she said, causing both girls to look up from the pain they were inflicted on their father. "Ready for presents?" The girls both smiled brilliantly, smiles that easily matched hers, and jumped off the bed.

"Yeah!" they shouted in unison, making their way into the living room.

"No running in the house!" Kate called after them. She looked at RJ. "Go make sure they don't break anything, okay? And wake up Grammy."

RJ nodded and jumped down from the bed, following the girls out to the living room. Neo was still in Kate's arms and he stayed that way as she stood, resting him on her hip. She slipped on her slippers and slapped her husband's ass. "Get up and go make coffee!" she said. Castle groaned. "Do it _now _or no _you-know-what_," she warned.

Castle's eyes shot opened and he jumped out of bed. "Vanilla latte, right?" he said as he raced out of the room, towards the kitchen. Kate laughed and padded after them, running her fingers through Neo's curls.

When she reached the living room, she placed him on his feet and he ran towards his pile of gifts, colored in green. She watched him with a smile on her face. It was just so amazing how quickly he bonded with Holly, Eva, and RJ and how quickly he grew accustomed to living in America. His English improved greatly and after a few more lessons with a private English tutor, they enrolled him in kindergarten. He made friends quickly and easily, somehow having the same Castle charm that they all seemed to share, despite not having been borne to the family. What's more, the kids _adored _him.

Kate watched with a smile as the kids opened all their presents and began playing together, RJ and Neo shooting at each other with their new NERF guns and Holly and Eva giggling as they tried on their new dress-up clothes.

Her heart swelled with love for them. She wanted times like this to never end but she knew that they would get older and hormones would begin to run wild as they entered adolescence and they would most likely fight and rebel as much as she did when she was a teenager. She was not looking forward to that and she prayed that they would be as mature and docile as Alexis was. She doubted it.

"Mama, look!" Kate looked down at Neo holding up a new art set. They'd discovered his ability soon after he'd come to them. He was drawing with the others and one of his drawings of Kate and Rick ("Mama" and "Papa") was so good that it earned a place on Kate's desk at work. She'd also framed and hung RJ and the girls' work, but Neo's was the only one she had displayed at the Precinct.

Kate smiled and nodded at him, glad that he like the very expensive and probably very messy art set that "Santa" had brought for him. Rick came up behind her and handed her a mug of coffee, wrapping one arm around her waist, kissing her cheek and wresting his chin on her shoulder.

"They're cute, aren't they? Even the monsters," Rick joked. The monsters were the twins' nicknames since their Terrible Twos seemed to carry on until now, even though they were now four. They had their moments when they were cute and calm, but mostly they could be mischievous little devils. Just like their father. Kate was dreading _their_ teen years.

Kate just laughed. "Yeah, they are…would you kill me if I said I wanted more?"

Rick sighed. "No…but it might kill me. I'm not the young, fertile, baby-making machine I was when we first met, ya know. I could have a heart attack. Also, I think we're running out of room here. They've completely filled the rooms and we can't just kick my mother to curb when the new baby comes…can we?"

Kate chuckled. "No, no. We can't do that. But we could get a new house…maybe in Westchester? What do you think? They have some nice ones up in Eastchester for sale."

"Well, maybe…wait, there's a town in Westchester named _Eastchester_? What is this world coming to?"

Kate laughed and leaned into him. "Seriously, Castle. I think we should do it. I mean, we've been overdue for a bigger space since Holly and Eva were born and they have great schools up there for the kids, ya know? And there are a lot of nice, roomy houses, with soundproof bedrooms…"

"Done. I'll go call my Real Estate Agent!" Rick started to move away but Kate caught him, laughing and pulled him down for a kiss, smiling happily.

**Sorry this is so late but I had work today AND my aunts took my sister and I out for dinner. By the time I got home I was tired and I just wanted to relax. I almost forgot about this! I'll post the next chapter in a few hours when I'm all nice and rested. REVIEW!**


	10. Xmas 2021

**Update! This one is going to be short and sweet. Christmas dinner, this time.**

**Christmas 2021**

Every single person in the Castle, Esposito, Beckett, Ryan, Foster (Max and Alexis' family), and Rodgers clan was squeezed together at Kate and Rick's large dining table, which sat more than twenty people (with the leafs placed into the usual ten-seater). The kids all sat on one end; the Castle kids (Holly, Eva, RJ, and Neo); then the Ryan kids (Caleb, Olivia, and baby Sarah); the little Espositos (Nia, Carlos, Christopher, and Charlie [short for Charlene]) sat across from them; Max and Alexis' daughters, Lily and Grace, sat in between them in high chairs (Lily was two but Grace was barely six months old now). The kids were chattering about school and about the presents they received while the adults made small talk about work. Rick glanced over at RJ once and smiled when he noticed him making eyes at Nia; his boy was growing up fast. He just hoped Espo wouldn't notice.

Just then Kate, Martha, Jenny, and Lanie all came in, carrying trays of sweet-smelling food and pitchers of iced tea and wine. Kate set the Glazed Ham in the middle of the table and received a kiss from Rick as he stood to start carving it. Before he could, Alexis stopped him.

"Dad, shouldn't we say grace first?" she asked.

"But Grace is sleeping…" Rick said with wide eyes, unable to stop the smirk from spreading across his face. "Just kidding, Pumpkin. Of course." He sat down. "Everybody hold hands."

"Eewww!" Holly and Christopher chorused, shooting each other looks. Kate and Lanie each gave them 'the look' and they quieted, linking pinkies instead of holding hands.

Rick started the prayer. "Dear God," he said, "thank you for this delicious meal we are about to devour like starving mutts ("Here we go," Kate murmured, earning scattered laughs and giggles around the table) and for the large, albeit strange, family we are sharing this bountiful feast with. Thank you for my beautiful wife, healthy children, grandchildren, and mother. Thank you for my friends; the Ryans and the Espositos. Thank you for bringing Katherine Beckett into my life for, if not for her, none of us would be sitting her, at our overly large dining room in Eastchester, New York, with our wonderful, extended family, sharing this lovely meal. Thank you also for our newest son, Neo, who we thank you for every single day of our lives, and thank you especially for your son, who started this wonderful Christmas tradition just by being. You have given us all so much and I don't know how we'll ever be able to thank you, but I can promise that we will all try our hardest every single day for the rest of our natural-born lives. Amen."

"Amen," everyone else chorused. Kate leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"That was beautiful, Castle," she whispered.

Castle beamed. "Yeah, well…I try." He kissed her back and leaned his forehead on hers for a second before turning back to the Ham. "Okay, so who wants some ham?"

Nearly every single child's hand went up and Rick smiled at them, beginning to skillfully carve the Christmas delight.

**REVIEWS!**


	11. Xmas 2022

**I am writing this in class right now, so you better be appreciative! Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2022**

Kate looked down at the tiny bundle in her arms. Wilhelmina "Billie" Jean Castle was born in November, just two days shy of Kate's own birthday, nearly a full month early. She had stayed in the hospital for two weeks after her birth in the NICU, and had come home in early December. The doctors told Kate and Rick that they did all they could and while Billie's vital organs were okay and there were no visible physical deformations, her vocal chords had not quite finished forming and it was possible that she would never speak without an operation. The operation was not even possible until the baby turned three and then it could only happen if they could find a matching larynx donor, which was very unlikely for children that young.

It didn't matter so much to Kate that her daughter might never be able to speak to her, so long as she was healthy in every other aspect. Kate just wished she could hear her voice. The only time that was possible was when Billie cried. Thankfully, her vocal chords were not so bad that she could not scream, but she rarely cried loud enough for them to hear her without a baby monitor attached to their hips.

The kids loved her, though. Neo especially. As soon as he arrived home from school he would sit on the couch and ask to hold his sister. Kate never had the heart to say no and she would place the baby in his arms while she sat close by, watching to make sure that he supported her head. While he held her, Neo would tell her all about his day at school; he was in second grade now and he'd made a few friends in class. He would also tell her that he couldn't wait to hear her voice. Kate and Rick had explained to the kids about the possibility of Billie not being able to speak until she was much, much older, but Neo, ever hopeful, kept telling her over and over that he thought she was going to be a wonderful singer, just like Mommy, and that she would be loud and energetic, like Daddy. He never once mentioned the possibility that he may never hear her voice.

Now, it was the girl's first Christmas and Kate was holding her, smiling down at the tiny baby in her arms. For Christmas, she had only one wish. She wanted the doctor's to be wrong. She wanted to hear her baby's voice by next Christmas. That's all she wanted and that was all she would ask for for the rest of her life if it came true. She needed nothing more than to hear Billie say, "Mama."

Kate decided to stop thinking about her Christmas wish and once again focused on the silly name they'd given their daughter. Wilhelmina had been Martha's idea; she had loved the way it sounded and how exotic it was. Kate agreed and then Rick had asked if the girl's middle name could be Jean. When she asked why he just said he thought it was a nice middle name. Kate didn't think anything of it.

It took her a full two weeks, when Billie was back home with them, for her to figure it out. She was loading the dishwasher after dinner, the monitor attached to her hips, listening to the radio as she worked when Michael Jackson came on the radio. She'd nearly dropped the dish she was holding.

"Richard Castle!" She'd shouted and turned to the doorway to see two sets of blue eyes peeking around the corner, floppy brown hair falling over each.

"Which one?" Rick asked, nervously. Kate rolled her eyes.

"The less mature one," she deadpanned. RJ let out a sigh of relief.

"Good luck, Dad," he said, patting his dad on the back as he walked away.

"Traitor!" Rick called after him, before turning to his wife. "That shirt looks _so good_ on you, Katie…"

Kate rolled her eyes, but couldn't fight back the smile. He could be such a goof sometimes.

Now, Billie Jean lay in her lap and Kate couldn't imagine her having a different name. It just seemed to fit the little blue-eyed, golden-haired girl. She just hoped she wouldn't get teased for her name when she was older…

"Mama?" Kate looked up and saw Neo sitting in front of her on the bed, with his sisters on either side of him and RJ standing, leaning against the bed. She smiled at them.

"Hey, guys," she said, "Merry Christmas. Ready to open presents?" She turned to her sleeping husband. "Castle, wake up." She shook him and his eyes blinked open.

"Morning already?" He moaned, closing them again. Keeping with tradition, the twins jumped on him and worked on keeping him awake. Rick just growled at them.

Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head, looking back at her sons. It was then that she noticed the package in Neo's arms. He was smiling and holding it out to her. She held up one finger and nudged Castle with her foot. "Rick, hold Billie. Girls, get off of your father." The monsters jumped off of Rick, allowing him to sit up and take his youngest daughter into his arms.

"You better be the sweet one," he grumbled. "Maybe a little Alexis, hmm?"

Kate laughed and took the package. "What's this?" she asked.

"RJ, Holly, Eva, Alexis and me all chipped in to get this for Billie," Neo explained. "We bought it when Lexi took us to see Santa.

Kate nodded and smiled, looking down at the messily wrapped gift in her hands. "Mind if I open it since she can't?" she asked.

Neo shook his head and Kate began unwrapping the gift, gradually uncovering a book. When she saw the title, she nearly burst into tears, but she kept her calm, lest Neo think he'd upset her. The book was titled, "American Sign Language for Beginners: A Step by Step Guide".

"Oh, Neo…thank you _all_ so much for this. I'm sure Billie will really appreciate this, you know, when she's _old_ enough to appreciate it."

"I still think that she'd going to be able to talk," Neo said, matter-of-factly, "but just in case…"

Kate smiled lovingly at him. "My little Boy Scout," she said. She gathered him and Rj into a hug, motioning for the twins to join her, squeezing them all in her arms.

"What did I do to deserve you?"

**REVIEWS!**


	12. Xmas 2023

**Update! **

**Christmas 2023**

Kate woke with a start when she heard Billie's wails, jumping right of bed and rushing to the nursery, nearly falling over Santa as she ran.

When she got to her room, Billie was standing up the in the crib, her blue eyes bright with tears, reaching towards Kate who scooped her up immediately. She rocked and bounced with the little girl in her arms, trying to quell her tears. Billie shoved her face in Kate's neck and held on tight, her sobs slowing down to mere whimpers as her mother rubbed her back, soothingly.

"Shh," Kate whispered in her ear, "it's okay, baby, Mommy's here. It's okay."

In all honesty, Kate was thrilled that she could now easily hear Billie's cries without the use of a baby monitor. On their last visit to the doctor, it had been confirmed that her vocal chords were doing very well on the medicine they'd been giving her. They were a type of steroid, much like the ones used in asthma medication, but these meds specifically targeted her vocal chords, making them stronger. It was a slow, gradual process that was estimated to take two years, at the very least, but soon she would be talking and laughing; she would have a voice. She'd been on the medication for a little over three months now, since she was ten months old, just beginning to walk. The doctors did a full check up on her to make sure that her heart was strong enough and that there would be no negative side effects on the rest of her body, then they started her on the lowest possible dosage, just to be safe.

It was working effectively within a month. Billie Jean's cries became louder and her giggles became more exuberant. Soon, Kate and Rick would be teaching her new words, but as of now she could not speak. They'd been taking sign language classes, though, and had been teaching her and the others what they learned, just in case the medicine didn't work to help her speech.

Now, Kate loved hearing the loud, vocal cries and even the tiny whimpers because that gave her hope.

"What's wrong, baby?" she whispered. "Did you have a nightmare? Oh, it's okay, Sweetie. Mama's here. Mama's right here." Kate always spoke to Billie as if the girl would echo her at any given moment.

Soon, Billie's cries stopped altogether and Kate looked at the clock; 5:45. The kids would be waking up soon. She might as well get a head start on it. She walked, with Billie Jean on her hip, back to her bedroom to see all four of her eldest children dog-piling their father, who was looking at her, pleadingly. Kate just stood there for a moment, debating whether or not to grab her camera. Rick made the decision for her when he yelped, "Kate!"

Kate chuckled and whistled, calling all their attention to her. "Yo, rugrats! Time for presents! C'mon!" Four smiles lit up and four tiny bodies jumped from her bed and ran past her, through the door. Kate looked back at Castle, who looked still beat from staying up late to put the presents under the tree. His fiftieth birthday had passed now and he was feeling how old he'd become.

Well, in most ways, except for one. Wherever his wife was concerned, in any way they interacted, publicly or privately, he always felt like he was twenty years old again. Even right now, while she was holding his sixth and youngest child, waiting for him to get up so they could open presents with their four eldest, he felt like a young man again.

"Come on, Castle," Kate said, softly, "time for Christmas."

Rick groaned as he stood up, stretching his back and wincing at the series of cracks that reverberated around the room. "Remember the time when I couldn't wait for Christmas morning?" he asked, jokingly. "Now the thought of opening presents just makes me tired."

Kate grinned. "Well, wait until tonight; I'm sure opening your last present will make you anything _but_ tired."

Rick gasped and grabbed Billie out of her arms. "Katherine Beckett Castle! I _never_! Not in front of Michael Jackson's greatest hit, please! We don't need to scar her before it's absolutely necessary. But, yes, I do believe you're right. Now, when exactly can I be expected to open that present?"

Kate grabbed his ear and twisted, making him cry out. "Apples! Apples! Ow, ow, ow! I have a baby in my arms, Kate!"

Kate snorted and let go, walking out, briskly, towards the living room.

Rick frowned after her, rubbing his ear, before looking down at his daughter. "God help you if you ever piss Mommy off," he grumbled before following after the woman in question. He'd follow her anywhere, to be honest.

Always.

**REVIEWS! Happy 12.12.12!**


	13. Xmas 2024

**Update!**

**Christmas 2024**

"Mommy," the tiny voice whispered in Kate's ear. Kate moaned, opening one eye to look at the clock.

"It's still too early, Holly," she mumbled. "Go back to sleep." She covered her head with a pillow and snuggled into her husband's side.

"Not Holly," the voice giggled.

Kate sighed. "Eva, then," she groaned. "Go to sleep, Sweetie."

"Not Eva!" Kate turned, lifting the pillow, and her eyes went wide at the little girl she saw standing there.

"B-Billie?" She gasped, a smiling spreading over her features. "Are you…are you _speaking_?"

Billie beamed and Kate picked her up, gathering her in a big hug, tears falling from her eyes.

Billie's medicine had progressed well and she'd been able to form single syllables and vowel sounds, but she'd not be able to fully form a full, comprehensive word yet.

Until now.

"Say it again," Kate asked, and Billie smiled.

"Mommy," she said, happily. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"

Kate laughed and held her tight against her chest. "I can't believe this," she mumbled into her daughter's hair. She turned and nudged a sleeping Castle. "Rick! Rick, wake up! She's talking! Billie is talking!"

Rick shot up in bed. "What's wrong with Billie?" He looked genuinely scared so Kate put a soothing hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at her, questioningly.

She was beaming and Castle was confused, looking from her to his daughter through bleary, sleep-filled eyes. He lifted a brow and Kate looked down at Billie, who smiled at her father.

"Merry Christmas, Daddy!" she exclaimed.

It took Castle's foggy mind a moment to process this bit of information before a slow smile spread across his features. "Did she just…?"

Kate was beaming and nodding wildly. "Uh-huh!" she said. "She can talk!"

Castle grinned and plucked Billie out of her mother's arms, tossing her up in the air and catching her, making the little girl giggle. He showered her face with kisses and hugged her to his body. "I'm so happy," he sniffed. "I can't even-oh God, I'm so happy!" He planted a big kiss on Billie's head, and rested his chin on her the top, looking at Kate. "It's a miracle."

Kate nodded. "Yeah, it is," she agreed.

"_What's _a miracle?" a voice asked from the door. Kate, Rick, and Billie all turned towards the door where RJ and his younger siblings were standing, peering into the room.

Billie smiled at them. "I talked!" she exclaimed. Immediately, their faces brightened and all four bodies threw themselves on their parents' bed, crawling towards their baby sister, taking turns hugging and kissing her.

RJ looked up at his mother with a serious face. "Do we still need to take sign language lessons?"

**REVIEWS!**


	14. Xmas 2025

**Sorry this is late but I had no time to go on the computer yesterday and I've barely gotten time to do it today. So I'm posting this chapter a day late and the next one might be, as well. I'll make my best effort to catch up by Monday, if possible. Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2025**

Kate sighed as the blazing sun warmed her skin. This year, for Christmas, thanks to Castle's new award-winning, best-selling Nikki Heat Novel, _Hawaii Heat_, the entire gang and all of their families were treated to a two-week, all expenses paid vacation, courtesy of Black Pawn Publishing, to Maui. Currently, the men were watching all the children while Kate, Lanie, Jenny, Alexis, and Martha had their own spa day. They'd spent the morning with their children, opening presents, playing, and spending time with their family before their husbands (and, in Martha's case, _son_) surprised them with spa packages for the afternoon, while they took care of the children and prepared their Christmas dinner.

Lanie was a bit wary of this, though. Not that Esposito was a horrible cook, but they'd had more than one dinner burn to a crisp under his eye. Kate assured her that Castle was a wonderful cook, though, and that, under his watchful eye, Javi would probably never go near the stove.

"He'll most likely get put on salad duty," she laughed. "Castle is _very_ controlling in the kitchen."

Alexis laughed and nodded. "It's true. When I was supposed to make cookies for my class in third grade, dad wouldn't let me do _anything_, except decorate the ones that weren't even for my class. He's a culinary perfectionist. Detective Esposito probably won't even be allowed to touch the salad. Neither will Det. Ryan or Max."

The women laughed and Kate looked down at her watch. "It's almost four," she said, "we should start heading back."

Lanie moaned. "Five more minutes," she requested and Jenny agreed, turning over to tan her back. Kate relented for another twenty, but soon they were on their way back to the beautiful beach home Black Pawn had rented for them. "We're back!" she called as they stepped inside.

As they entered the main sitting room, Kate was not surprised to see that the girls had taken over, pretty much forcing all the boys into tutus and boas and tiaras, making all the women break out in hysterics. Espo, Ryan, and Max all blush and begin ripping the feather and frills off, to the outrage of their daughters.

"No, Daddy!" Nia exclaimed, tying the boa back on Esposito's neck, giving him a look that was almost identical to Lanie's death glare. "Keep it on," she ordered and Esposito obediently followed, even as his five-year-old, Charlie, sprinkled glitter on his head and Lanie stood by, bent over in laughter.

Kate just shook her head, grinning. "Where's Castle?" she asked, looking at Ryan, who was decked out in a hot pink tiara and a matching tutu, smiling as his own little girl, Sarah, draws on his face with lipstick. He nudges her away for a moment to answer Kate.

"Mister Betty Crocker is in the kitchen; he won't let anybody else in." Kate nodded.

"Yep, sounds like Dad," Alexis supplied. Kate smiled.

"Dinner almost ready?" Jenny asked, stepping towards Sarah and removing the lipstick from her hand, pulling out a tissue to clean her husband's lips.

"We have absolutely no idea," Max said, stepping up to kiss Alexis hello. "Mr. Castle hasn't come out of the kitchen since this morning when you guys left."

Billie stepped up to her mother. "Mommy, I'm hungry," she said, pouting. Kate smiled down at her, thrilled still every time she hears her daughter's sweet, lyrical voice. Kate picked her up, kissing the little girl's cheek.

"It's okay, Sweetie," she said, "I'm sure Daddy is almost-"

"DONE!" Castle's voice ringed out as he walked out into the sitting room. "Oh, hey, Kate," he said, pulling his wife into his side and kissing her cheek. "Merry Christmas, baby. How was your spa day?"

Kate smiled. "Heavenly," she replied. "Thank you, so much." She kissed his cheek, before noticing what he was wearing; a pink apron with the word's "Culinary Queen" printed on the front and his own feather boa falling back over his shoulders. "The girl's got you too?" she asked, grinning.

He gave her a dumbfounded look. "What do you mean by that?"

He seemed genuinely confused and Kate didn't know whether to be amused or concerned.

**REVIEWS!**


	15. Xmas 2026

**Okay, so I have less than two hours to get done three chapters which mean that they will be very short. I also have to update my other stories as well. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Christmas 2026**

"RJ!" Billie exclaimed. "Neo! Wake up!" Billie jumped on Neo, who occupied the bottom bunk of their wooden bunk beds, landing on his back. She straddled him and began shaking him awake. "Neo!" she said. "Wake up! It's Christmas! Come on! Holly and Eva are already awake! We gotta go see what Santa brought for us!"

"But, Billie," Neo groaned, burying his face further in the pillow. "Santa doesn't really ex-" suddenly he was hit in the face by a pillow. Neo turned to see RJ's head peeking out from the top bunk.

"Shut it, Nimrod!" he hissed, giving Neo that warning look that obviously came from his Beckett side. Neo turned back to Billie.

"Santa doesn't really _what_?" She asked. Neo forgot sometimes that she was only four years old.

"Nothing," he said, quickly. "Let's go open presents. Are Mom and Dad up yet?"

"I dunno. Holly and Eva went to go wake them up."

RJ grinned. "Oh Dad must be _loving _that!" He and Neo each took Billie's hand, walking her out of the room.

There would come a day that Billie would no longer believe in Santa, like RJ and Neo, but for now she, Holly, and Eva all still believed in the possibility that a fat man in red brought them presents every year.

And that's how it would stay; at least for the next few years.

**REVIEW!**


	16. Xmas 2027

**Yay! New chapter! Cel-e-brate good times COME ON!**

**Christmas 2027**

"Why do we have to go to church?" RJ whined as Kate fastened his tie around his neck. He was wearing a new suit since he'd outgrown the last one with his recent growth-spurt. He was now a tall and gangly teenager, with a light dusting of freckles over his nose and shaggy brown hair falling over his eyes. Kate couldn't believe how much he'd grown. Now she was in for the angsty teen years. She hoped he would be more well-behaved than she'd been at his age.

Being a Castle, she doubted it.

"Because," she said, pulling the knot of the tie until it was fastened comfortably around his neck, "your sisters are all singing in the chorus this year and Billie has her first solo."

Kate couldn't believe it when she heard Billie Jean sing for the first time since they started attending church regularly with Esposito and Lanie. She was the youngest person in the chorus, with ages ranging from five to Mrs. Livingston's ninety-three. They'd recently had a few openings and Kate encouraged the twins, now eleven years old, to audition. Their voices were nice and strong enough to get them a spot, but she hadn't even thought of encouraging Billie to join. But as they watched the choral auditions a few weeks before Billie turned five, she'd begun tugging on her shirt, asking if she could please audition.

Kate had never heard Billie sing before, had not even though that she would be able to sing very well with her still-weak vocal chords, but she had allowed it, wishing Billie luck as she went up to the Pastor, a nice black man name Charles, who smiled at the little girl's request to join and immediately agreed to let her try out, not knowing the beautiful sounds that would come from that girl's throat.

Billie had wowed everybody when she belted out "Joy to the World," the audition song that the girls had been practicing for weeks while Billie watched and listened. Kate and Rick's jaws had dropped while all her siblings cheered her on. When she finished, the entire church was on their feet, applauding the little girl as she smiled proudly, blushing and toeing the ground.

"Thank you," she squeaked before running back to her mother, falling into her embrace and having the daylights squeezed out of her.

The Pastor called, "You're in!" from the stage, gaining laughs from all around. And by the time she was five, Billie was featured at the front of the chorus.

But today she would have her first solo at the Christmas service.

There was no way any member of their strange, extended family was going to miss this!

The Espositos, Ryans, Fosters, Martha, and Jim were all going to be there. Even Captain Gates, who'd taken to all the Castle children, Billie especially, was going to show up with her own family.

Kate and RJ walked together into the living room where the girls sat on the couch in their choir robes and Neo watched television with Rick, flipping between a Christmas movie and reruns of that old Joss Whedon Scifi that lasted only a dozen episodes.

"You guys ready?" Kate asked. Holly and Eva nodded, standing up off the couch and pulling Billie up with them. Billie was practically bouncing with excitement.

"I'm ready!" she said, running to her mother and grabbing her hand. "Let's go, Mommy!" She began pulling a laughing Kate out by the hand, while Kate called for the others to follow.

They made it to the church fifteen minutes before the service was to begin. Kate and Rick kissed the girls goodbye as they made their way to stand on the stage with the rest of the chorus. They were the three youngest children in the choir. Nia Esposito was there with them; she, too, had the voice of an angel ("Just like her dad," Esposito said, proudly, when she'd been picked for the choir. Lanie just rolled her eyes).

Pastor Charles smiled at Billie and asked her if she was nervous. Billie shook her head and said that she was ready for this. She had a determined look on her face that made Charles smile.

"Alright then," he said, "good luck, my sweet angel."

Then he went up to the podium to start his sermon. "On this very day, long ago, our Savior was born in a manger…"

The Pastor went on like this for some time before he announced that the chorus would perform a few songs, both old and new hit Christmas songs to brighten this holiest of all days.

"The first song is one I'm quite sure you are all acquainted with. It's become very popular in recent years and it is named after this very special day. And this year it is extra special because our soloist is the youngest choir member we've had in over twenty years. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Billie Jean Beckett Castle!"

Billie Jean stepped up, shyly, next to the podium. She was much too small to sing at the podium like all previous soloists had, but someone had handed her a wireless mic. She smiled at her parents in the crowd and Kate waved before taking a picture. Rick blew her a kiss and RJ made faces, earning him a slap in the back of the head from Kate. Neo laughed. Gates, sitting a few pews behind them, waved at Billie, smiling at the adorable little blue-eyed girl. Billie waved back, excitedly.

Then the music started up and Billie began to sing, the tiny girl's big voice filling the church.

"Joy to the world

The Lord has come

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and heaven and nature sing!

Joy to the world

The Lord has come

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and heaven and nature sing

Joy to the earth

The Savior reigns

Let men their songs employ

While fields and floods

Rocks, hills, and plains

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat the sounding joy

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls

Joy to the people everywhere you see

Joy to you and me

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls

Joy to the people everywhere you see

Joy to you and me

He rules the world

With truth and grace

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love

And wonders of His love

And wonders, wonders of His love

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls

Joy to the people everywhere you see

Joy to you and me

Joy to the people everywhere you see

Joy to you and me…"

The audience, who had been cheering and clapping the entire time little Billie sang suddenly erupted into ear-shattering applause.

Billie beamed and bowed, her face turning beet red.

"My what a voice that girl has on her. Did y'all know that at one time it was believed that young Billie Jean would _never_ even utter a word? But the Lord has graced her with this _miracle_ of a voice, and we all reap the benefits. It's just another reason to be thankful for Him, isn't it, Billie?" Billie nodded, still smiling. The crowd was applauding lightly, still and Kate had tears in her eyes, watching her little girl up on stage, doing something she never even dreamed she would be able to do.

There was only one word floating around in her mind at that moment; miracle.

**REVIEW!**


	17. Xmas 2028

'**Nother short one! Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2028**

Kate and Rick watched from afar at the two teenagers sitting next to each other on their living room couch, suffering through a dumb Christmas movie as they kept an eye on their younger siblings. Nia and RJ were both in High School now and could no longer be considered children, bit were still as goofy as they come. RJ was the class clown at his school, while Nia spent her time on stage, making the crowd laugh with her comedy bits at talent shows and in the Fall Comedy. She was natural on stage and it was plain to see how smitten RJ was with the tan, petite, funny girl.

If Kate wasn't mistaken, Nia felt the same way about him. And Kate was rarely mistaken. The two sat about a foot apart from each other on the sofa, but their hands were nearly brushing as they rested in the middle of the couch. There was a slight smile on RJ's face and light blush on Nia's.

Kate and Rick smiled at each other, knowingly, before heading back inside. Esposito and Lanie were preparing dishes for their joined Christmas dinner. Jenny and Ryan had not been able to make it that year, due to the fact that it was Jenny's year to spend with her family. They'd carted Caleb, Olivia, and Sarah down to Jenny's parents' house for the holidays.

Lanie placed her ham in the oven and sat down at the table, across from Kate, who was chopping vegetables for a stew.

"What're the kids up to?" she asked, leaning on her elbows.

"Nothing, really," Kate said, glancing at Espo. He was deep in conversation with Rick about something so she leaned forward and whispered, "I think Nia and RJ like each other." Lanie's eyes widened and she glanced at her husband to make sure he wasn't listening.

"You sure?" she whispered and Kate nodded, motioning for Lanie to join her as she walked back to stand in the doorway. The two women peered out at their eldest children, whose hands were now on top of one another, both teens blushing furiously.

Lanie grinned and clapped her hands, fighting back a girly squeal.

Kate grinned, before looking up. Her eyes lit up as she saw the little sprig of mistletoe above their heads. "Lanie!" she hissed, pointing up. Lanie's eyes glanced up an widened before she turned back to her best friend.

"Sorry, girl," she said, "but I'm a married woman. We can still be friends though."

Kate nudged her and Lanie laughed. "I mean, I have an idea." She lent in and whispered her thoughts to her friend, who grinned coyly.

"That's evil!" she whispered. "I like it!"

Kate grinned and called out; "Nia! RJ! Can you come help us in the kitchen, please?" before she and Lanie scrambled back to the table.

The teens stood and walked, side by side, into the kitchen, leaning against either side of the doorway before asking what was up.

Kate grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Well, Lanie, would you look at that!" she said, teasingly.

"Look at _what_, Kate?" Lanie said back, playing along.

"Well, it seems that my son and your daughter are standing under _mistletoe_! What do ya think about _that_!?"

"Oh, well, I think they should keep up tradition, don't you?" Lanie answered.

Kate nodded and both women turned to gaze at their children, who were both blushing furiously, looking at each other.

"Well, come on you two!" Kate exclaimed. "We don't have all day!"

RJ blushed and looked away, giving Nia the chance to take initiative. Suddenly, she gripped his face in two hands and planted her lips on his, making RJ's eyes go wide, comically, before closing as he savored his first kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist for a moment until the kiss ended and Nia pulled away.

"Nice," she said, simply, before walking back into the living room. RJ just stood there, dumbfounded and blushing, while Kate and Lanie giggled like schoolgirls.

Espo glared at him, before dragging Castle into the other room to threaten since he was certain that Lanie would kill him for threatening a fourteen-year-old.

But he had some words for the older Castle, as well, so he took what he could get.

**REVIEWS!**


	18. Xmas 2029

**Sorry it's so late today but I was just watching Firefly (so good!) and I got through half the episodes already before I realized that I had to update. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Christmas 2029**

"You did wonderfully, Sweetie!" Kate was saying as she walked with Billie through to the door to their house. Santa greeted them, licking the little girl's hand and sitting obediently for a pet. Billie smiled at her and pet the old dog's head. Santa was now blind in one eye but she still had all the energy of a new puppy-well, most of it, anyway.

"Yeah, Billie!" Neo was saying as he and RJ walked in around their mother. "You completely _rocked_ that song!" Neo still had a slight accent even though he'd come to America exactly ten years ago now.

Billie grinned. "Thanks, Ne-Ne!" she kissed his cheek, before turning back to her mother. "When are Uncle Kevin and Aunt Jenny coming over? And Uncle Javi and Aunt Lanie? And Lexie! When are they getting here?"

Castle was the last to enter, behind Holly and Eva. He walked over and laid a sweet kiss on her head. "They'll be over soon, Pumpkin," he said. Kate couldn't help but notice that he looked _years_ older than he had this time last year.

She could understand though; Martha had passed in August at the age of 89 and it took a hell of a toll on Castle, who tried to stay strong for his children, who were all heart-broken, especially Alexis.

It was the first Christmas without her and Castle looked like all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed and stay there all day long.

As he moved into the kitchen Kate followed him, meeting him at the corner, coming up behind him as he leaned against it. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his back, her hands rubbing soothing circles on his stomach. Castle's hands covered hers for a moment before he turned and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his body.

They said nothing for a few peaceful moments before Kate looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I wish she was here," she whispered. Rick nodded.

"Me too," he said, placing his chin on top of her head. "Me too."

They were all settled at dinner, all twenty-three of them, with one spot empty between Castle and his eldest child, Alexis. They held hands over the vacant space left by Martha as all head bowed and Castle said grace.

"Dear Lord," he began, "Thank you for the bountiful meal you are gracing us with on this holiest of all days. Thank you for my healthy family; all my children, my beautiful wife, and the wonderful friends that are joining us on this day…and thank you for Santa, the dog, who, while half-blind can still find me to nudge my leg at the dinner table," everybody laughed, "and thank you for taking good care of my mother-assuming she made it past the gates." More laughter. "But, seriously, take good care of her and make sure you cast her in the lead of all your plays and musicals up there or there will be hell to pay. I'm serious. Also, just thank you for keeping my wife, my friends, and I safe in our line of work, as well as my family. We all really appreciate it and all that you have given us. Amen."

"Amen," the other echoed and Kate reached over to kiss her husband's lips, squeezing his hand as she did so. Rick smiled at her, before turning to the large ham in the middle of the table.

"Okay," he said, "who wants some good eats?"

**Sorry I killed off Martha but I sort of thought it might be the time for a little sadness, ya know? But in my mind she had a calm, peaceful, painless, natural death and she went to Heaven or wherever people go after they die. But you have to remember that Susan Sullivan is still alive and well (not to mention ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!) and Martha is still kicking! Anyways, REVIEW!**


	19. Xmas 2030

**Sorry this is so late and it probably won't still be the nineteenth when I post this but I shall try! Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2030**

"Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday Holly and Eva,

Happy birthday to you!"

Everybody in the kitchen applauded as the now-fifteen year old girls blew out the candles on their cake. The girls beamed as pictures were taken and hugs were given.

Their little sister Billie, now eight years old, was setting up a mic in the living room with her nieces, Lily and Grace, helping her. She was going to put on a show for the family while RJ played guitar and Nia played her keyboard. Lily and Grace were going to sing back up.

When they were finished setting everything up, Billie went to the dining room. "Come on, everybody!" she said. "It's time for our show!"

She ran back into the living room while everybody else grabbed a slice of cake and followed her, taking seats on every available surface until they were all comfortable. Holly and Eva sat in front center since they were the guests of honor.

"Today, for Holly and Eva's fifteenth birthday-slash-Christmas performance, I am going to sing each of their favorite songs. First is Eva's, since she was born first. Eva's favorite song is called Some Nights by Fun. It's a _really_ old song that came out before she was even born but I think you will all like it anyway. Here goes…" Billie cleared her throat and began.

"Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck.

Some nights, I call it a draw.

Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle

Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost

Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for oh

What do I stand for? What do I stand for?

Most nights, I don't know anymore... oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh.

Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh

This is it, boys, this is war, what are we waiting for?

Why don't we break the rules already?

I was never one to believe the hype - save that for the black and white

I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked, but here they come again to jack

My style

And that's alright; I found a martyr in my bed tonight

She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am

Oh, who am I? Oh, who am I? mmm... mmm...

Well, Some nights, I wish that this all would end

Cause I could use some friends for a change

And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again

Some nights, I always win, I always win...

But I still wake up, I still see your ghost

Oh Lord, I still not sure what I stand for

What do I stand for? What do I stand for?

Most nights, I don't know... (come on)

So this is it? I sold my soul for this?

Washed my hands of that for this?

I miss my mom and dad for this?

No. When I see stars, when I see, when I see stars that's all they are

When I hear songs, they sound like this one, so come on

Oh, come on. Oh, come on, oh come on!

Well, This is it, guys, that is all - five minutes in and I'm bored again

Ten years of this, I'm not sure if anybody understands

This one is not for the folks back home; Sorry to leave, mom, I had to

Go

Who the hell wants to die alone all dried up in the desert sun?

My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she called "love"

Man when I look into my nephew's eyes...

Man, you wouldn't believe the most amazing things that can come from...

Some terrible lies... ahhh... oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh

Oh woah, oh woah, oh woah oh oh

The other night, you wouldn't believe the dream I just had about you and me

I called you up, but we'd both agree

It's for the best you didn't listen

It's for the best we get our distance... oh...

It's for the best you didn't listen

It's for the best we get our distance... oh..."

The room burst into applaud and Billie, Grace, and Lily bowed.

"Okay," Billie said, "this next song is Holly's favorite. It's called Let's Hear it for the Boy which is an even _older_ song! You guys should really start listening to newer singers like Carly Rose or something. Anyway, let's begin. One, two, three…

"My baby, he don't talk sweet

He ain't got much to say

But he loves me, loves me, loves me

I know that he loves me anyway

And maybe he don't dress fine

But I don't really mind

'Cause every time he pulls me near

I just wanna cheer

Let's hear it for the boy

Let's give the boy a hand

Let's hear it for my baby

You know you gotta understand

Maybe he's no Romeo

But he's my loving one-man show

Whooa, whooa, whooa-oh

Let's hear it for the boy

My baby may not be rich

He's watching every dime

But he loves me, loves me, loves me

We always have a real good time

And maybe he sings off-key

But that's all right by me, yeah

'Cause what he does, he does so well

Makes me wanna yell

Let's hear it for the boy

Aaaah, let's give the boy a hand

Let's hear it for my baby

You know you gotta understand

Oh-oh-oh, maybe he's no Romeo

But he's my loving one-man show

Whooa, whooa, whooa-oh

Let's hear it for the boy

[Instrumental Interlude]

'Cause every time he pulls me near

I just wanna cheer

Let's hear it for the boy

Aaaah, let's give the boy a hand

Let's hear it for my baby

You know you gotta understand

Maybe he's no Romeo

But he's my loving one-man show

Whooa, whooa, whooa-oh

Let's hear it for the boy..."

More applause, this time from Lanie, Jenny, and Kate, who all remembered listening to that song as children and loving it.

The girls all bowed, as did Nia and RJ, before Billie spoke again.

"For the next hour, I'll be taking requests," she said, "but right now I'm going to get some cake! C'mon, girls!" She, Lily, and Grace all walked into the kitchen for food, while laughter skittered around the room.

Kate looked at her husband. "She's like the girl you, I swear." Rick just grinned.

**REVIEWS!**


	20. Xmas 2031

**Another late chapter! Sorry, guys! I spent my night in the city with my local High School on a trip to see Annie on Broadway (PHEOMENAL!) and just got back. Oh, and look! It's the 21****st**** of December and I'm still here! Yay! Anyways, enjoy!**

**Christmas 2031**

Beckett sat by the fireplace, a mug of warm coffee in her hands, Santa nestled at her side. The old dog was get weaker as the days went by, but she was still kicking. Beckett figured she had a few good years left in her, but made plans to get another puppy for Billie, like she'd been asking recently. Billie had wanted a playmate for Santa since she was about two years old; she didn't realize how old the poor girl was.

Kate scratched the old blind dog behind her ears, laughing as she practically purred at the sweet touch that she'd relished ever since she was a pup. The smile on Beckett's face didn't last long, though.

She looked up at the mantle, lined with dozens of family photos, half of her side of the family and half of Castle's. In the center, there was a big picture of them all together; her, Castle, their kids, and Kate's father, Jim. Jim Beckett had passed away barely two weeks ago and Kate was still feeling the pain of his death. It was so close to Christmas and the anniversary of her mother's death; thankfully, this one ended less violently.

Jim had been sick for a while, no sign of him getting any better at his old age but Kate kept hoping that he'd at least making it through the holidays with them. The picture on the mantle was taken during their summer in the Hamptons. Rick and Kate had taken all the children and invited Jim to stay with them for a couple of weeks. He'd agreed and on their first night there, they'd all taken a picture together in the sitting room. Kate, Rick, RJ and Neo stood in the back while Jim sat in a chair in front of them, Billie nestled in his lap and the twins on either side of them. Kate had liked the picture so much that she had decided to send it out as a Christmas card to all their friends and family.

There was a similar picture on her side of the mantle, in which she, at four years old, sat in her father's lap, like Billie, while her mother wrapped her arms around her father's neck. Jim had one arm wrapped around his daughter, keeping her secure, and the other rested on his wife's hand, which lay on his chest.

Kate loved that picture and found herself staring at it, constantly.

God, she missed him. Tears spilled down her eyes as she gazed at it now. How she wished she could go back to a time where she had both of her parents, rather than neither. How she wished she were still small enough to fit in her father's lap and snuggle into his warm embrace. How she wished that he was just _there_, with her, right now.

It was Christmas night, almost midnight, and she had felt his absence all day. She'd set his place across from Martha's, who they still kept vacant in her memory, and stared at the empty chair all night long, willing him to come back and fill it. Castle had noticed this and held her hand, squeezing it tight and not letting go throughout the entire meal.

When all the kids had retired to their bedrooms with their new toys and gadgets, Beckett and Castle stayed behind to clean up the kitchen and dining room. Kate had been in the middle of filling the sink to wash dishes when Castle had turned off the faucet and told her to go sit in the living room while he cleaned. Kate tried to protest but he would have none of it, so she relented.

Not long after Castle brought her a coffee and started a fire for her while he returned to finish off the cleaning. Now she was sitting on the couch, gazing into the crackling fire, her face wet with tears and her throat achy with tears.

"Hey," Castle's voice startled her as he entered the room, "I finished putting everything away." Kate nodded but found herself unable to look away from the fire. She didn't know what else to say.

Castle didn't say anything else, though. He just came around and sat down on the couch, next to her, draping a blanket over them. Kate smiled in thanks and placed her now-cold coffee on the end table, before leaning into him. They didn't speak. He just rubbed her back, soothingly, comfortingly, and held her.

"Thank you," she whispered after a while.

"Always," Castle responded, kissing her forehead.

**REVIEWS!**


	21. Xmas 2032

**I am tired as hell, we didn't die and it just happens to be midnight again…oops! I promise I'll do better tomorrow…**

**Xmas 2032**

"RJ! RJ! Wake up!" Billie was bouncing up and down on her brother's carpet. RJ groaned and turned over to face her.

"Bill," he mumbled, "what did I say about knocking before entering?"

Billie sighed, deflating slightly. "That I should always knock before coming into your room _unless_ it's an emergency," she said, obediently.

"Mmhmm," RJ said, "now what is so urgent that you had to come here without knocking?"

Billie started bouncing again. "It's _Christmas!"_ she said, grinning.

RJ groaned and shoved his face back into his pillow. "I thought Mom and Dad already had this talk with you," he growled. "Santa isn't-"

"Santa isn't real," Billie interrupted, rolling her eyes. "I know that! But that doesn't mean that we didn't get presents! Now, come on!" She pulled on her brother's arm, trying to get him out of bed. RJ groaned again and slowly stood up, letting his little sister pull him out of his room, down the hall, and down the stairs where his parents and his other siblings all sat slumped on the couches and easy chairs. His mother was curled up on his father's lap. She smiled when she saw him.

"Morning, RJ," she yawned. "I thought for sure you'd be the one to evade Billie's hyperactivity."

"Evidently not," RJ grumbled, plopping down in between Eva and Holly, who each immediately rested their heads on his shoulders, both wrapped in their robes. "Besides, Billie's got us all wrapped around her little finger. I know it; you know it; Heck, even Billie know it! Don't ya, Bill?"

Billie just grinned at him from her seat in front of the tree. Oh yeah, she knew it, alright.

Neo was the only one that looked even remotely awake as she came into the living room, carrying a tray of coffee and hot chocolate. He handed them out to everyone, before placing the tray on the coffee table and sitting by his parents' feet. Kate absently ran her fingers through his coarse hair.

Billie began handing out gifts then, she gave one each to her sisters, then one to Neo. All the kids had gotten one big gift each that year, except for Billie. To keep the gift a surprise, still, Rick and Kate had them all write a list of the big things that they really wanted and then they would decide which one to choose.

Neo had gotten a new MacBook Air with different skins to decorate it with. Holly had received the newest Kindle, a case, and an Amazon gift card for $500 to get her whatever books she wanted. Eva got the new iPhone, with a case and an iTunes gift card for just as much as Holly had on hers. Billie got many of the toys she'd asked for and her first cell phone, a cheap pre-paid one that wouldn't really be a big deal if she lost it. Kate warned her against losing the phone, though, since she wouldn't be getting a new one unless she paid for it herself.

RJ got a key.

He was confused at first, turning the simple gold key over in his palm, before looking at his parents. "Did you guys get me an apartment or something? Are you trying to tell me it's time to move out?"

Kate laughed and shook her head. "Not at all!" she said, standing up. "But you might want to follow me."

RJ stood, as did all of his siblings and their father, all following Kate outside to the driveway, where a new Cadillac was sitting, shiny and new, with a big red bow on it.

"Oh. My. God." RJ's eyes were wide in shock as he looked from his parents to the car, to the key in his hand, and then back to his parents. "Th-that's mine?" he asked.

Kate and Rick nodded. "Your father's publishers were so happy with his new autobiography that they decided to do him another kindness. They bought this for him as a gift."

Rick nodded. "Yup! But I already have enough cars and I figured since you're going away to college soon, you might want a way to get there. And I know it wasn't on your list, but if you'd prefer a-"

"NO!" RJ shouted. He cleared his throat. "Um, I mean…no thanks. This is cool. Thanks, guys!" He gathered his parents in a big hug before running over to the new car, unlocking it and jumping inside. He looked back at his siblings. "You guys wanna go for a spin?"

They didn't even answer; Eva, Neo, and Holly all ran towards the car, while Billie stayed back.

"Can I go, too, Mommy?" she asked, looking up at Kate with her big blue eyes.

Kate smiled. "Well, you could….but who'd take care of the puppy?"

Billie frowned, quizzically, at her. "What puppy? Santa's not a puppy anymore…"

Kate and Rick smiled, before Rick went to open the garage door, nearly being knocked off his feet by a small chocolate lab pup. Billie squealed and ran to the dog, scooping it up and giggling as it licked her face. "Guys, look! We got a new puppy!" The others cheered and Billie laughed as the puppy's energy knocked her onto her but on the ground. Thankfully, there was no snow.

Rick and Kate came over to kneel next to her, taking turns patting the small head. "So, what are we gonna call her?" Kate asked, smiling as the puppy licked her hand.

Billie looked at the puppy with a serious look on her face; it was the same look that Rick got on his face when he was working on a theory. Kate, too.

"Daddy, what's the name of the dog that you and Mommy once shared?" Billie asked, suddenly.

"Oh, um….Royal, I think it was. Right?" He looked up at Kate. She nodded.

Billie grinned. "Perfect! We'll call her Royal, because she lives with the Castles! Get it?"

Kate smiled and laughed, kissing the girl's head. "I think that's a wonderful name," she said.

Rick agreed. "Welcome to the family, Royal." He pat the puppy's head. "Gee, I wonder what Santa's gonna think of this…"

**REVIEWS!**


	22. Xmas 2033

**I'm watching Serenity right now and I just remembered that I have to update again, so this chapter may be a little short. But I'll make it up to you in what I will reveal about one of the kids. Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2033**

_She's very pretty._ That's the first thought that pops into Kate's head when she sees the picture of Kaylee for the first time on Christmas morning.

She's in Eva's room (she'd just recently moved out of the room she shared with Holly) helping her daughter find the right outfit for Christmas dinner at the Esposito's. Eva is in her walk-in closet right now, trying on a red halter top. This is the third dress she's tried on today and they're cutting it pretty close.

Kate is looking at a picture of Eva and Kaylee wrapped up in each other's arms, laughing at something the photographer must be saying. It was taken pretty recently; the girls are both wearing their winter coats, hats, gloves, and scarves, their cheeks red with the harsh winter chill. They look like very close friends and Kate wonders why she'd never met Kaylee. The girl in the picture is very cute. She has long brown hair that falls in waves around her shoulders, big brown eyes, and full cheeks that make her look very young. She's about half a foot shorter than Eva who, unlike her twin, inherited her parents' height (Holly, sadly, inherited her grandmother's short stature).

"Who's this girl?" Kate asks, still looking at the photo.

"What girl?" Eva asks back.

"The one in the picture with you," Kate explains, "the one on your nightstand. Who is she?"

"Oh," Eva says, her voice wavering slightly, "um…that's Kaylee. Kaylee Staite. She's my…friend."

"Looks like it," Kate comments. "Why haven't we ever met her before?"

Eva comes out, smoothing down the dress. "I dunno, Mom. Because I just never brought her over. How does this look? Too short?" The dress comes down to her knees.

"Not at all!" Kate says, smiling. "It looks wonderful; I don't know why you've never worn it before. Why don't you invite Kaylee over for New Year's Eve? I'd love to meet her."

"I don't know, Mom…I don't really think it's her thing, ya know? She's not a very big party girl. She's kind of an introvert."

"Oh? She looks like a lot of fun to me." Kate motions to the picture. Eva smiles and Kate can almost see something unrecognizable on her daughter's face. What is it?

"She is…" Eva says, almost to herself. Suddenly, she frowns and looks down, closing her eyes for a moment. Kate is about to ask what's wrong when Eva looks back up again. "Mom, I have something to tell you," she says. Kate sees fear in her eyes and her motherly instincts start to act up.

"What?" she asks, worriedly. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Eva takes a deep breath and sits down on the bed. She looks up at her mother. "I think you should sit, as well. This is pretty big."

Kate nods and takes a seat next to her daughter. She places her hand on her daughter's lap. "What is it, Sweetie?" she asks. "You know you can tell me anything."

Eva smiles slightly and nods, not looking up from her lap. "I know," she says. Her voice is shaky, making Kate even more uneasy.

Eva takes a deep breath before speaking. "The reason I haven't brought Kaylee over to meet you yet is because…because I didn't know how to do that without upsetting somebody."

Kate furrows her brows, confused. "Upset? Why would anybody be upset? She looks like a perfectly nice girl."

"Oh, she is," Eva assures her, "Kaylee is very nice. She's the nicest, sweetest, smartest, funniest," she chokes out a laugh, "most beautiful person I've ever met." Kate's eyes widen a bit, but she still doesn't quite grasp the meaning of this. They're silent for another moment. "Mom, I'm in love with her," Eva finally says, tears falling from her eyes. "I-I didn't know how to tell you and Dad because…I don't know. I just…I thought you'd be ashamed of me or something and if I brought Kaylee over here and didn't introduce her as my girlfriend then she might get upset and I didn't want to upset her and I'm so, so sorry, Mom." Eva turned to her mother, burying her face into her shoulder, like she did when she was little and she'd broken one of her expensive vases or ruined the carpet by spilling grape juice on it. She was acting like she'd done something terribly wrong and she needed to beg for forgiveness.

It nearly broke Kate's heart and she wrapped her arms around Eva, like when she was little, and began rocking her back and forth, whispering soothing words in her ears. "Shh, shh, it's okay. It's okay, Sweetie. Everything's alright." She stroked her daughter's dark hair, kissing her forehead and trying to calm her down. When Eva had finally settled down, Kate raised her face to look at her.

"Why did you think your father and I would be ashamed of you?" she asked, almost angrily. Her face softened when Eva's nearly crumpled again.

"I don't know," Eva hiccupped. "I just…when Maya's mom and dad found out she was gay, they disowned her and now she's living with her grandparents in New Jersey. I don't want to live in New Jersey and I don't have any grandparents to live with, so I just…I was just so scared that you and Dad would-"

"Never," Kate said, cutting her off. "Your father and I would _never_ do anything like that. Ever. We love you no matter what. We always will. I don't want you to _ever_ be afraid to tell us something like this, okay? We're here for you."

Eva smiled and hugged her mother, squeezing tightly. Kate squeezed her back, just as much. After a few moments they pulled back, wiping their tears, smiling at one another. Kate ran a gentle hand through her daughter's hair.

"You know what this means now, don't you?" she said.

Eva shook her head. "No; what?"

"It means that you are _definitely _inviting Kaylee over for New Year's Eve."

"Maybe."

**Made myself cry writing this! This is exactly how I imagine Kate Beckett would react to a friend or family member coming out to her. I also imagine she would have some wild child high school and college stories to tell herself. LOL! REVIEWS!**

**BTW, somebody asked me what age all the kids are, so here ya go:**

**RJ, Caleb Ryan, Nia Esposito: 19**

**Neo: 18**

**Carlos E., Olivia R., Holly and Eva: 17**

**Christopher E.: 16**

**Lily Foster: 14**

**Charlie E.: 13**

**Sarah R, and Grace F.: 12**

**Billie: 11**


	23. Xmas 2034

**As I write this it is about 10 to midnight so technically it's not late. Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2034**

Kaylee was one of the nicest girls Kate had ever met. She'd met her last New Year's Eve and had loved her from the very start. Kaylee was nice and energetic and polite and she could just tell that she loved Kate's daughter so much. The girls were inseparable and Kaylee was practically _living_ at her house now. She wouldn't be very surprised if the girls dormed together when they went to college.

This year, in fact, she was spending Christmas Day with the Castles. She was currently nestled with Eva on the couch, Billie on her other side, leaning into her (Billie had taken to Kaylee immediately, always excited to share with her the new songs she'd learned and what was going on at school. Kaylee listened attentively every time.)

Nia and RJ were also cuddling on the couch right next to them. They'd been together now for five years and were attending the same college, secretly planning on moving in together, but RJ had something planned first. He would wait until after dinner to do it, though. From the kitchen, Esposito glared at him.

Holly and Neo sat on the floor in front of the television, playing some sort of racing game against one another, bumping each other's arms to make one another lose the game.

Santa lay not too far away, snoozing with Royal at her side. The puppy had been enraptured with Santa since the very start and her feelings had been reciprocated…eventually. At first Santa had growled every time the puppy interrupted her while she ate or tugged on her ears or played with her tail but eventually she had learned to deal with it. And, as it turns out, Santa could be very motherly. When Royal was still small enough, she'd taken to sleeping on Santa's front paws, under her chin and Santa, surprisingly, never had an issue with it. She actually enjoyed having the smaller dog as a pillow and often encouraged her to crawl up with Santa when she slept. Now, though, Royal had grown too large to rest under her chin and actually ended up snuggling up next to Santa, allowing Santa to still use her as a pillow. She would lay her head on Royal's neck and wag her tail slightly before falling asleep. And at all times neither dog would move until the other was awake.

Kate and the rest of the family thought this adorable, especially since Santa was getting older. It was nice that she had a friend to spend her last years with.

Kate leaned down to scratch both dogs' heads on her way into the living room to announce dinner was ready. All the kids stood up and followed her back into the kitchen.

The Ryans were at Jenny's family's house, so Kaylee took one of the seats their absence left. Nobody would go near Martha and Jim's seats, still. They ate while sharing funny stories and anecdotes about work and school. Espo continued to glare at RJ as he ate, getting a nudge from Lanie several times.

When the meal was over, RJ stood up, clinking his glass. "I have an announcement," he said, smiling nervously. Everybody looked up at him, expectantly. "A few days ago, I went over to Uncle Espo and Aunt Lanie's house to ask them a question. This question nearly had me killed, but, luckily, Aunt Lanie knows how to handle her husband."

"That's right I do!" Lanie said, gaining a few laughs around the table. Esposito pouted.

"Yeah, and it was a question that I was so nervous about that I was practically hyperventilating when I asked it, even after days-months, actually-of preparing myself to ask it. What question could take this much preparation, you ask? Well, I'll tell you; actually, I'll show you."

Suddenly, he was on one knee, next to Nia, holding up a ring. "21 years ago, on this very day, a writer asked his muse and true love to be his 'one and done'. Today, they are still together and just as in love as they were then. I want that with somebody I love and I think-no, I _know_ I found that someone. I love you so much, baby, and I can't imagine living one day without you in my life. You are my one and done. Nia Maria Consuela Esposito, will you do me the ultimate honor and become my wife?"

Nia's eyes widened in shock and tears glistened in her eyes. "Oh my-I-I…I mean…Oh my God! I-I just-um..." she took a deep breath, "yes! Yes! Yes!" She pulled him into a kiss. "Definitely!"

The entire table exploded into applause, even Espo (after a swift kick from his wife). RJ smiled and stood up, slipping the ring onto Nia's finger and kissing her passionately, nearly forgetting that all their friends and family were sitting at that table. Esposito cleared his throat and the two separated, blushing. Kate walked over and embraced her son, kissing both cheeks, before kissing Nia's.

"Welcome to the family," she said, "officially, I mean."

Nia thanked her and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Auntie Kate," she said. "That means a lot."

Nia and Kate pulled apart and Nia went back to hugging RJ, the two becoming inseparable for the rest of the night.

**REVIEWS!**


	24. Xmas 2035

**Merry Christmas Eve! This one is going to be a bit sad, but also happy! Enjoy!**

**Christmas 2035**

The new puppy was tiny; much tinier than either Rick or Kate had intended. But the purchase of it had been last minute, just a week after Santa passed and they noticed Royal's reaction to her death. It was all they could do to get Royal to eat or go for walks. Santa had passed away at the ripe old age of twenty, which was very uncommon for dogs. She'd lived a long and good life, surrounded by those who loved her and who missed her dearly. All the kids had shown up at her funeral, which had been held in the expansive backyard, even Alexis and Max and their kids.

All had shed tears over the lost dog and each and every member of the family had written their own letters to read at the funeral. Billie had even sung Amazing Grace through her tears. Kate had felt like she lost a child; she thought that maybe Rick felt the same, since he squeezed her hand through the entire thing.

That was in early September. Less than one week later Royal had begun showing the signs of depression. The vet had told them that they should consider finding her a new friend to play with and if that didn't work, they would put her on special medication. The next week they went out and found Bandit; a little Yorkie whose hair was tan all over his body except just over his eyes, making it look like he had a bandit's mask on.

As soon as Castle saw him, he began cooing like a little girl. He could hold the puppy in the palm of his hand and he practically melted when the little guy licked his nose. Kate couldn't suppress her laughter or her own love for the Yorkie.

So they bought him.

When he got home the first thing he did was run for the food bowl, climbing in and munching down all of Royal's food. When Royal found him in the food bowl, she'd looked confused, just staring at him until he yipped at her. They'd become fast friends.

Royal slept with Bandit under her chin, much like the way Santa had slept with her, and treated the new puppy like her own young, allowing him to follow her around everywhere and letting him snuggle up against her when he was feeling cuddly. She even bathed him sometimes, nuzzling him affectionately when he licked her nose.

The kids had taken to him just as fondly, playing with him whenever they could. Neo had taken to carrying him around in his pocket, the little dog's head and front paws sticking out as he enjoyed the ride. Billie included him in her little 'concerts' in her room, sitting him with her stuffed animals and Royal as she sang to them. Eva and Kaylee included him in on their movie night, snuggling up together on the couch with both dogs spread out on their laps. Holly taught him to do special tricks like bark every time somebody said the word 'Always'. RJ and Nia, newly wed, treated him like a baby, getting ready for their own (Nia was a month pregnant; the couple was thrilled!)

On Christmas, Royal had on a Santa hat and Bandit was given a little green elf-s hat to wear. Kate took a picture of the two snuggled in front of the fireplace together.

And though they'd lost yet another member of their family, they also gained one and they were as happy as ever.

**Sorry it's short but I gotta go lay out the cookies and milk before Santa gets here! Yay! Merry Christmas!**


	25. Xmas 2036

**Merry Christmas! **

**Christmas 2036**

Katarina "Katy" Lanie Castle was just about the happiest baby Kate had ever laid eyes on. Her first grandchild was a real gift and had the remarkable Castle charm smile that all her kids seemed to have. She also had Nia's dark skin and curly brown hair, but her eyes were a light blue-grey color like her Daddy's. And she had Rick's dimples. The only way you could tell that the baby was related to Esposito was by the frustrated look she got sometimes, which perfectly mirrored Javi's.

And, even at four-months-old, she was a joy to have around at any time of the day, even when she was upset. Her pout reminded Rick of Kate's and Lanie's pouts when they were trying to coerce their husbands into something (and usually succeeded, at that) and he and Espo just melted whenever she pouted at them, practically squealing like little girls while their wives rolled their eyes.

And Nia still had her motherly glow about her, especially when she held her baby girl in her arms. She went nuts with the baby's first Christmas presents, buying her everything from a new pair of booties to the girl's first Barbie doll, not even caring that most of the toys she'd received were much too advanced for an infant. RJ didn't really care; he just let her buy whatever she wanted and he even helped her.

Collectively, the spent over $500 on their baby's first Christmas and they didn't give a damn what anybody thought.

Meanwhile, Javi and Lanie spoiled that baby rotten, buying nearly every stuffed animal in the toy store to give to her. Kate was a little more mellow in her approach when picking a present for the baby.

She'd gone to every single toy store in New York City to find the perfect stuffed animal that she knew Katy would have and love forever. Finally she found it.

It was just a simple stuffed orange and white cat, but it was so soft and friendly-looking that Kate couldn't imagine _not_ buying it for her. She immediately snatched it up and raced to the front, having the pimply teen at the register ring it up and giftwrap it for her. He tied a little silver bow around its neck and wrapped it in red and green tissue paper, before placing it in a shiny gold bag. Kate paid only $20 for the whole thing, but she was certain it would last a lifetime.

Come Christmas Katy had a mountain of gifts to open (which, of course, her parents opened for her) and she nearly asphyxiated with every new toy or outfit she received. Then came Kate's gift. When she saw the little orange cat with the silver bow, Kate thought she might have broken. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped and she reached for the kitten with both outstretched arms, grabbing it and curling it towards her body. The entire room cooed and Castle squealed, coughing deeply afterwards, claiming he saw a mouse.

RJ and Nia thanked Kate for the gift, like they did everyone else, and Nia smiled as the little girl drifted off to sleep, the cat, which they dubbed Kitty Castle, stuck in the crook of her arm.

**Epilogue:**

**Richard Castle (No, he is not dead for all those who have been wondering):** Rick continued to write until the ripe old age of seventy-two, when he officially retired and moved with Kate into the Hamptons house. They continue to enjoy their large house, family, and each other ( ;-D).

**Katherine Beckett Castle: **Kate retired from the force at age 60, moving with Castle to the Hamptons house, where they currently reside. They host the occasional family reunion and have friends over constantly. Together the Castles have seventeen grandchildren by the time they enter their eighties.

**Javier and Lanie Parish Esposito**: After they both retire in their sixties, Lanie and Javi buy a home in Lower Westchester, in Scarsdale, and visit with Kate and Rick, and Jenny and Ryan anytime they possibly can. Together, they have thirteen grandchildren.

**Kevin and Jenny O'Malley Ryan**: After Ryan's retirement, he and Jenny buy a house on the same street as the Espositos. They have ten grandchildren.

**Max and Alexis Castle Foster:** Now live in Harrison, New York. Their three children (son, Ricky, born in 2037) are mostly grown, giving them their first grandchild when they reach their fifties.

**RJ and Nia Esposito Castle: **Currently living in New York City with three children. Their eldest, Katy, is now sixteen. The two youngest, Jamie (boy) and Rochelle (girl), are ages twelve and nine. Nia is a comedienne on SNL and RJ is writing, like his father.

**Neo Castle: **Married to Olivia Ryan. They have six children, ranging from ages 2-15; Marie, 15; Cindy, 12; Karen, 11; Michael, 9; Jennifer, 6; and Ruth, 2. Live in Eastchester, NY.

**Kaylee and Eva Castle: **Married right out of college. Kaylee is a librarian at the New York Public Library and Eva is a doctor in the Bronx. The girls live in Manhattan and have two beautiful children; Mia, 8; and Lee, 4.

**Holly Castle: **English teacher in Newark, NJ. Single mother of twin boys, Eric and Samuel, 7. Calls her mother and father every single day just to talk.

**Billie Jean Castle: **Became a singer, of course, at the age of nineteen, though she stayed in school to finish up her education. Performs on Broadway in as many plays as she can get a part in and has three hit records. Lives with boyfriend, Chris Esposito, and they have a child together; a baby boy name Matthew.

**Caleb Ryan:** Works in Narcotics at the 12th Precinct. Has a live-in boyfriend, Paul, and a shared adopted daughter named Janie, 3.

**Sarah Ryan: **Works with CPS and Fosters her own kids. She has adopted two of her Foster children so far, Lily and Amanda, both age 10, and is attempting to adopt a baby boy, name Craig. Married to a man named Frank, who is a lawyer.

**Carlos Ryan: **Surgeon in New York City. Married to Lily Foster. They have three children; Kara, 4; Peter, 2; and CJ, six months. Live in Bronxville, NY.

**Charlie and Grace Foster Esposito: **Live together as a couple. Both are rookies at the 12th. No children yet but are planning to get married soon.

**I hope y'all enjoyed this! Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year! REVIEWS!**


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